Siempre
by JohnGreenGirl
Summary: Sequel to my story Preciosa. Maisie has survived Maria, but how will her new life in Alaska treat her? Jasper is searching for answers, Gunner is adjusting to dating a werewolf, and Edward is guiding Jasmine through the newborn phase of her vampire life.
1. Chapter One: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

A wise man once told me that Alaska was "colder than Rosalie's soul".

That wise man was Emmett Cullen. He received a whole fifteen minutes of silent treatment from Rosalie for that quip. According to Jasper, that was a record.

But Emmett was completely right.

Forks got plenty cold some days, but never did it stay in the teens for three weeks straight. The temperature in Anchorage hadn't broken 19 degrees since November. Jasper had taken to calling me _'mi pequeño burrito'_, because I had developed a habit of wrapping myself in blankets at all times. The cold didn't bother him, what with his being a vampire, so I didn't think he really had room to talk.

Doing homework? Wearing a blanket.

Cooking food for myself? Wearing a blanket.

Drinking my doses of blood? Wearing a blanket.

I had no shame over this, because it was so cold that it made me sad. I was waiting impatiently for the snow to accumulate enough to go snowboarding, because Jasper and Edward had promised to teach me and Jasmine. That was the only thought getting me through the spring semester.

But I had taken up another hobby, besides sitting around in a blanket while I waited for the sun to return. _30 Days of Night_ is not only a fabulously terrible vampire movie, it's also the annoying truth about Alaska. It really _was_ dark for days during the most bitterly cold winter I had ever known.

My other hobby still involved sitting around in my blankets, actually. It also involved watching Jasper be a cartographer. Sitting on our bedroom floor, I would watch Jasper paint a world map on one of the walls.

"You did _buy_ this house, right?" I asked, probably for the hundredth time.

"Do you want to see the deed?" He teased over his shoulder. This world map was a part of Jasper's own hobby: researching my…vampiric condition. I didn't drink human blood every two weeks because I liked the taste of it (even though I had to admit that I did like it, if I were being honest). It was for health reasons—mainly, so I wouldn't outright _die._

I had to have the blood because of a now-deceased vampire named Maria. She had contaminated my blood with her venom several times. Maria also happened to be Jasper's ex-girlfriend, for lack of a better word, and once bit my brother, Gunner, in an attempt to get me to sacrifice myself for his life and join Maria's army of vampires.

The first blood I ever drank was Gunner's. I spit most of it out, but I swallowed enough of his venom-tainted blood to tip myself almost entirely over the edge. No, I didn't turn into a vampire, but I was incredibly close to being one myself.

Jasper had made it his life mission to learn everything he could about others like me, if there were still any left in the world. Before Maria used the venom contamination to outright harass me—and others before me—it used to be a vampire trend to sell their venom services to humans who had the means to pay up.

That's where Jasper's map came in. He planned on using it to track where this practice was known to take place—France, for sure, was the starting place, as we had learned from a Cullen family friend named Garrett. I was useless in this process, by the way. I just liked to watch my boyfriend paint.

I was eighteen, and Jasper was undeniably gorgeous. From his usually-messy honey blonde hair and sunshine smile to his bright gold eyes and broad shoulders. How could I not enjoy watching the muscles in his back move beneath his t-shirt as he sketched Africa on our bedroom wall?

No male-loving person on this green Earth could have blamed me, an I'll stand by that.

"I'm just trying to save you some money. Can you imagine how much you would have to pay in damages if we were renting this place?"

Jasper looked over his shoulder at me, his hand stilling. He threw me a smirk. "You mean to tell me not everyone wants a giant world map painted on their wall?"

Glancing over the wall Jasper had already finished, I gave him a shrug. The silhouettes of North and South America were already finished. The American Southwest was stained a sheer, watercolor red. He hadn't started on Europe yet, but I was sure France would be similarly stained in the future.

"I don't know, I think it really sets the tone in here." His chuckle was low and deep, sending a shiver down my spine. Damn, but I loved him. I was suddenly infused with a rolling burn in my middle—Jasper using his empathic gift to let me know he felt the same.

It was hard for me to pinpoint the source of my increased desire for Jasper. Yes, he was undeniably gorgeous, and I loved him so much. But was it because I was eighteen, still very much under the influence of teenage hormones? My developing bloodlust affecting other desires? The fact that Jasper and I were alone here, far away from Forks and our parents?

More likely it was probably my frustration with the fact that, no matter where it was coming from, my desires could not be fulfilled. I already had almost too-much venom in my blood, and every bodily fluid a vampire produced was venom-based, according to Carlisle. He would know, doctor that he was and leading expert on both the human and vampire conditions.

"One day, Jasper Whitlock," I liked to use his true surname when I chastised him, "you're going to get us in trouble."

"Trust me, Maisie Thompson, there are worse ways to become a vampire."

I felt a blush burn in my cheeks at his insinuation. Lucky for me, Jasper had already turned his attention back to the wall, so he didn't see. I knew he felt my embarrassment, though, and that was confirmed with the low chuckle he gave.

"Ha-ha, you're so funny." I rolled my eyes at his back.

I pushed myself up off the floor, taking my blanket with me. While Jasper worked, I probably should, too. Downstairs, I grabbed my laptop off the couch and went to sit at the kitchen table. Right when I logged onto the Alaska Pacific University website, though, my phone buzzed with a text from my mom.

I opened it to find a picture of my little sister, Ava. Everyone said we looked a lot alike with our blonde hair, but Ava had gray eyes where mine were blue. In the picture, Ava was smiling so wide her eyes were crinkled shut.

_Another tooth down! She's so excited!_

I zoomed in on Ava's face. We had gone to Forks over Christmas, and even though I had just seen Ava not even a month ago, I couldn't get how grown up she looked in the picture. She was five when I left Washington, and already she was six.

_She'll be a toothless millionaire at this rate,_ I sent back.

* * *

"Maisie, your objective here is to try not to die. Or break any bones."

"I make absolutely no promises, Edward, but okay." Shortly before my nineteenth birthday, Alaska had enough snow for Jasmine and me to learn to snowboard. It had been a slow snow year in Alaska, according to Jasper and Edward. Bitterly cold, but not a lot of precipitation.

I felt like the little brother in _A Christmas Story_ in the snowboarding gear Jasper had insisted I wear. It wasn't even a jumpsuit, but the thick pants and jacket—plus all the layers I was wearing underneath—made my limbs feel stiff.

"Jasmine might have an easier time with it, since she already knows how to surfboard. The balance in both is similar."

I rolled my eyes so hard that I was surprised I didn't fall over. Deciding to ignore Edward and his never-ending Jasmine praise, I sat down in the snow to strap my feet onto the snowboard. But my gloves made my fingers, like the rest of me, thick and stiff, and the straps kept sliding through my fingers.

"I got it." Jasper sunk into the snow in front of me, coaxing the straps from my fingers. I watched him buckle my feet with ease. "Tight enough?"

I wiggled my toes inside my boots. "Yeah, I don't think my feet are going anywhere."

He took my hands and pulled me up with him. While Jasper took care of buckling his own feet in, I pulled my helmet over my beanie. It was a cloudy day, of course; Jasper, Edward, and Jasmine couldn't have been out here with me if the sun were shining. Still, the snow was blindingly white enough that even without the sun, I flicked the visor of my helmet down over my face.

"Alright, lean forward," Jasper instructed me. "Keep your right foot forward, it's your lead foot. If you want to stop, try to fall backward until you figure out how to stop without falling."

"You mean you don't have thirty thousand more rules?" On the ski ride up to the mountain, we had been behind Edward and Jasmine. Jasper had laughed while I mimicked Edward's hand motions as he explained the minutiae of snowboarding.

"I think you'll be fine," Jasper leaned forward, somehow maintaining his balance despite our standing on the edge of the hill. Jasmine and Edward had already snowboarded off. Jasper's kiss was a little awkward because of my helmet covering most of my face, but it was still sweet. "And if you crash into an evergreen or something, I know you're tough."

Even with Jasper's confidence in me, I watched him start to make his way down the hill first. Copying the way he had put his weight forward onto his lead foot to get himself going, I did the same.

The cold air was a stinging rush once I was going forward. I didn't realize how fast it would be. A laugh tumbled from my mouth, torn away by the wind. I figured out pretty quickly that you had to use your weight to control the board. It took me a little while to get used to, but I was keeping up with Jasper before long.

I caught up to him at one point, trailing not far behind him. Jasper told me to throw myself backwards to stop, but I didn't. Instead, I bent my knees and pushed myself forward as hard as I could, knocking into his back and taking him down with me.

"Maisie!" I heard him yell, laughing. He turned in time to wrap his arms around me, taking the brunt of the fall and cradling me to his chest. The snow sunk beneath us, flurrying all around. "I think you might have a death wish."

I was sure he could feel my heart pounding. My laugh was breathy. I pushed my helmet up off my head—Jasper hadn't even bothered to wear one—and kissed him properly, there in the snow.

"That was fun," I told him. "I see why y'all like snowboarding now."

"We'll see how fun you think it is when you try to stand up." Our legs and boards were all tangled together.

"Oh, hush," I leaned down to kiss him again. "Let me enjoy this."

It was moments like these that made me so hesitant about my future.

I knew I would have Jasper either way. If I chose to succumb to the venom slowly poisoning my blood, I knew he wouldn't leave my side. And if I chose to take another dosage of venom, to become truly a vampire, I would literally have Jasper forever.

Cold winter air stinging my skin, burning in my lungs. My breath hitching from laughing. Heart pounding in my ribcage. These human things were what I didn't want to give up.

My time was ticking. I knew that. I really did.

I would have to make a choice one day, but today…in the snow, laughing with Jasper, racing Edward and Jasmine down the hill until it was dark out.

Today was not that day.

* * *

**A/N: **My girl is baaaaack! I have the sequel planned out and I'm going to get updates out when I can, but honestly I can't commit to any kind of schedule because I have a lot going on this summer. I'm sorry about that! Maybe I should have waited, but I just missed Maisie too much.

I hope you guys are as excited as I am! I love you all!

ALSO. I would like to direct your attention to a really fun fic that I have been beta reading for. It is Jasper-centered, just like this one. The title is _Remembrance, _by littlebeachhut. I would really love it if y'all could check it out!


	2. Chapter Two: Gunner

**-GUNNER-**

* * *

If you had told me when I was sixteen that I would be bitten by a vampire and fall in love with a werewolf before I turned eighteen, I would have called you a damn liar.

And probably ask you what kind of drugs you were on.

On the vampire bite: it's on my wrist. I got it from a vampire named Maria, who was after my sister, Maisie. The only reason I didn't turn into a vampire myself was because Maisie sucked the venom out. Then Carlisle Cullen, another vampire, stitched up the bite for me.

There's kind of a lot of vampires here in Forks, Washington, actually.

Now I have a silvery, raised scar on my wrist. The skin healed, of course, but it's cool to the touch now.

On the werewolf: her name is Leah Clearwater. She's beautiful. She could totally kick your ass. I'm entirely in awe of her.

That is all.

* * *

Maisie breaking it to our parents that she was going to move to Alaska with Jasper Hale—her vampire boyfriend—was actually a perfect cover for me and my stitches at the time. She told them before she ever even graduated. Mom was so busy helping Maisie pack and buy things, and Dad was so busy hiding how much he disapproved over it, that neither of them noticed the six weeks I had to have the stitches.

I had no idea how Maisie managed to keep Jasper's being a vampire from our family _and_ her friends for nearly two years. She dated him through her junior and senior years of high school before they moved to Alaska.

Leah was there with me the night I got my vampire bite. She held my hand while Carlisle stitched up the bite and pumped me up with clean blood. I had lost a lot that night, partially thanks to how deeply Maria had sank her teeth into me, partially because of how much Maisie had drained.

I don't remember a whole lot about that night. Blood loss does that to you, apparently. Maisie tells me it's a good thing I forgot so much of it. One thing I remember with perfect clarity was laying my head in Leah's lap after Carlisle was done patching me up. She was warm, so warm that I could feel the heat of her skin through her jeans, burning into my cheek. I remember how Leah ran her fingers through my hair.

_"You're okay now,"_ she whispered to me. _"You're safe. No one's going to hurt you anymore."_

She stayed with me that night, too. Maisie had gotten all the venom out, but I could still feel the after-effects of it. I woke through the night, jolted awake by the burning in my wrist or an otherworldly chill making its way down my spine. Every time my eyes flew open, there was Leah to cup my face and whisper to me until my heart stopped thudding and I could go back to sleep.

At the time, I didn't know about imprinting. I wasn't aware it was something that often happened with the werewolves of the Quileute tribe. Something—fate, or whatever—chose us to be together. Leah knew before I did, since she's the one who did the imprinting, but I don't mind. I wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

No matter how much of the supernatural world I saw, I never thought I would get used to it. Especially when my girlfriend greeted me the way Leah did.

"Hi," she told me, leaning forward to kiss me. I let my backpack fall to the floor of her bedroom. One of the things I had learned from my older sister was that pretending to do homework was a _great_ way to spend tons of parent-approved time with the person you liked. "Bet you didn't know there were three vampires in town last night."

"As in, Cullen vampires or Maria vampires?" Maisie didn't know I classified vampires this way. _Cullen vampires_ meant those vampires who blended in with the human world and, likewise, didn't harm humans. _Maria vampires_ were vampires in the traditional sense—bloodthirsty assholes.

"Maria vampires." Leah pulled me down onto her bed beside her. Unlike my own parents, Leah's mom, Sue, didn't care if Leah shut her bedroom door when I was at their house. I guess there wasn't much else you could worry about when you knew your kids were werewolves that regularly fought vampires, like Leah and her brother, Seth.

I kicked my shoes off and stretched out beside Leah. She wrapped her arm around my waist, throwing one of her legs over mine. "One day, I'll get it through your head that most vampires are _not_ of the Cullen variety."

"What can I say?" I twisted a piece of her short hair around my finger. "I'm nothing if not an eternal optimist."

Leah was always so warm. Her skin burned against mine, a side effect of her werewolf nature. She rolled herself on top of me, straddling her legs across my hips. "Optimism will get you killed one day, Gun."

"I think I've survived worse than looking on the bright side." I ran my hands up the length of her legs, palms on fire as they moved up toward the edge of her shorts. Her dark almond eyes drifted shut under my touch.

Sue not caring about the door being shut really came in handy. For us, anyway.

"Wait," I said, my voice muffled as Leah pulled my shirt over my head. "Seth's not here, right?"

Werewolves, I had learned, had super hearing. And seeing. And strength and speed. Really, they're abilities (except for shapeshifting) were not that different from a vampire's. Not that I would ever tell Leah that, because I valued our relationship and my life.

"No, he's with the pack at Sam's."

"Goo—"

I didn't even get to finish that one word, because Leah leaned down to kiss me. Everything about her was heat. Fiery fingers and palms working at my belt, undoing my jeans. Burning thighs that wrap around me.

It's really a wonder I had never been reduced to ashes in Leah's bedroom.

* * *

"Hello, Gunner Rhett Thompson, it's your favorite sister. Talking to your voicemail is real fun and all, but I would like to actually talk to you. Call me back or I'll fly back to Washington just to kick your butt, and we both know I can."

Maisie had always been unapologetically forward. In the background of her message, I could hear Jasper laughing at her.

_You're dramatic_, I texted Maisie after my second listen of the message. I would be a liar if I said I didn't miss my sister. We were only ten months apart in age. For my entire life, Maisie had always been there…until last June. It was February now, but I was still getting used to her empty bedroom.

And Ava. Since Maisie wasn't around to help Mom fulfill all of Ava's many requests, the task had fallen to me. Ava made no secret of the fact that I did everything 'wrong' and 'not at all how Maisie would do it'.

Almost as soon as I hit send on the text, my phone was ringing in my hand.

"See? Dramatic."

"Oh, whatever." I could practically hear the eye roll in her voice. It made me smile. "You'll think this is dramatic, too. I have an important question to ask you."

"And that is?"

"When's Forks High's spring break this year? Late April again?"

I tried to think, but I couldn't remember. Unlike Maisie, I didn't keep a copy of my academic calendar in a binder.

"Uhhhh," I trailed, making her sigh.

"Never mind, I'll ask Mom. By the way, scale of one to ten, how likely do you think Mom would be to say yes to you coming to Alaska for spring break?"

_That_ we both knew the answer to, so I wasn't sure why Maisie was asking.

"Dad would be down for it," I said instead.

"We've never had to convince Dad about anything. I'll pay for your ticket. Pull the 'I'm eighteen now' card, Gun."

I was eighteen, and Maisie was almost nineteen. Really, the only kid our parents had any say over anymore was Ava, since she was six.

"You mean _Jasper_ will pay for my ticket?" I asked. I never heard the end of it from our parents, because Jasper—and the whole Cullen family—was rich. Yeah, Carlisle was a doctor, but really, they had more money than a doctor married to an architect—Esme—should have. But no one in Forks questioned that.

"Excuse me, I have a job."

"You work in the campus library."

"_You_ better be nice, or I might forget to buy Leah a ticket, too."

My ears perked up at that. "You would get her one, too?"

"Duh. I like Leah better than I like you most of the time. Hopefully Sam doesn't throw a fit about it."

"The only one complaining will be Jacob, but you know that. He's had a stick up his ass since Bella went back to Arizona."

"I don't know, I hear the pack has been busy," Maisie mused. "Sounds like Forks is still getting unwanted guests."

When Maria brought her little newborn vampire army to Forks, it left behind a stench even after all the newborns were killed. Except a girl named Jasmine, who switched sides and helped the Cullens before joining their family…or coven, as Leah called it. According to Leah and the other werewolves, vampires had a pungent smell. Forks already smelled like vampires thanks to the Cullens' permanent residence, but the newborn army had made it worse. Months had gone by, but the scent had stuck around.

Now transient vampires were nothing new. Leah called it a 'pest problem', but there were more than enough werewolf pack members to take care of them.

"Yeah," I agreed, closing my bedroom door so our parents and Ava wouldn't overhear. "Those in the know in La Push have been worried about it."

"You mean the elders, and Sue. I'm sure Sam and the rest think it's fun."

"Of course they do. Seth's taken a few out solo. Hopefully Carlisle isn't too upset about it. I'll work on convincing Mom. Surely Dad'll help me, and she can't really say no if you buy the tickets."

"Exactly. I'm looking at them right now. Hopefully Leah doesn't mind the vampire smell here. Besides Jasper living with me, Jasmine and Edward are our neighbors. Also, Carlisle makes it a point to explain the treaty to every stranger in Forks. It's on them if they don't listen to him."

I looked down at my wrist while we talked. The light caught on the scar there. Even with it healed, the skin looked more silvery than a scar usually was. I was lucky in that I was fair skinned, anyway, so the scar didn't stick out too much.

"You're okay, too, right?" I asked. It was only after I said the words that I realized I had interrupted whatever it was that Maisie was saying. She stopped midsentence, not bothering to finish what she had been saying before, and immediately changed topics.

"Yeah. I mean, as okay as I can be. The whole blood drinking part isn't fun, but it's better than the alternative…you know, dying and what have you."

Maisie thought she was good at acting brave. She was, most of the time, but I could hear how nervous she was in her voice.

"And Jasper's research?"

"Not going great. I'm a unicorn of the vampire world. A few vampires remember the practice, like Garrett, but I guess most of the ones actually around at that time were killed long ago. Or we just don't know about them yet, which is what Carlisle is hoping. Charlotte and Peter are still sending letters, though."

We were quiet for a beat. I still hadn't figured out what you say to your sister who knew exactly how her life would end: a death from a failing body and poisoning by the venom in her blood or a death brought on by more venom, but one that resulted in a new life…that she didn't want.

"If nothing else, you'll see me this summer if Mom says no. Promise."

"Okay. I love you, Maise."

"I love you, too, Gun."

When we hung up, I laid back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Who knew moving to Forks would change our lives like this?

* * *

**A/N: **I can't even begin to explain to you how much the outpouring of love I got yesterday touched my heart. Y'all are more amazing than you know, and I appreciate each and every one of you so much.

On another note, I had to use a WikiHow and some videos to figure out how snowboarding worked for the last chapter. So if any of it is wrong, I'm so sorry! I've never been snowboarding, I live in a desert, but we all know Maisie is adventurous so of course snowboarding would be something she would do in Alaska.

Anyway, this was Gunner's first chapter! If you don't remember, the story will rotate between Maisie, Gunner, and Jasmine point of view chapters. So, the next one will be told from Jasmine's perspective. I'm going to try to keep the chapters even between the three (in other words, not favor Maisie as much as I want to!), but it won't always be in a Maisie-Gunner-Jasmine pattern so that it doesn't get repetitive.

Alright, sorry that was so long! I think I got everything out that I wanted to say. If not, it'll be in the note on the next chapter. ;)


	3. Chapter Three: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

On my nineteenth birthday, I woke up at midnight. This was not my choice. It was Jasper's doing.

I woke to him shaking my shoulder. When I pried an eye open, I realized he had turned the bedroom light on. I rubbed my face, trying to get adjusted to being woken up in the middle of the night. "What?"

"Happy birthday," he told me softly. I felt his hand smoothing the hair away from my face.

"We're the same age now," I murmured, referring to his human age. Jasper was changed when he was nineteen himself, freezing him in time at that age. I heard him chuckle, his breath washing over my cheek as he leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"Give or take a hundred-fifty years or so." I motioned vaguely at the light with my hand. Jasper cut my drift, turning it off before I was even done. He was back at my side in the same instance. I caught his hand, pressing it to my lips.

"Don't brag, old man. Why are you waking me up at midnight, anyway?"

"I wanted to be the first one to tell you 'happy birthday'." Just then, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. Jasper pressed it into my hand. When I unlocked it, I saw two text messages sent almost simultaneously: one from Jessica Stanley, my best friend from high school, and one from Alice, Jasper's sister.

"How kind of Alice, she let you have this one." Jasper laughed.

"She let me win for once. Go back to sleep, birthday girl."

"Come lay with me, not-birthday-boy." That was all the convincing it took for Jasper to slide into bed with me. I fitted myself against his side, resting my head on his chest. It was the middle of the night, and though he had woken me entirely, I was still tired. I fell back into sleep with ease, cocooned in Jasper's arms.

* * *

Unlike in Forks, no one at school knew it was my birthday. In the middle of my math class, I felt a sudden wave of missing them.

Had I been at Forks High, Tyler and Mike would have serenaded me off-key. Lauren and Jess would have presented me with a Hostess cupcake with a candle in it at lunch. My parents would have made my favorite dinner for me, while Gunner complained because he didn't like Mom's stir fry, but it was my favorite. Esme would have made me brownies.

Instead, I was sitting in a college algebra class. Cami, the girl who sat beside me in class, asked me for a pencil like she always did on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That girl had a whole case of colored gel pens, but not one pencil. Otherwise, I didn't talk to anyone at school that day.

I had successfully bummed myself out by the end of my class. At least math was the only one that day, so I didn't have even more idle time sitting around with my woe-is-me birthday thoughts. I was actually thankful that Thursday was 'homework' day—a tradition the four of us living in Alaska had developed. Edward and I both attended Alaska Pacific University in person, while Jasmine was taking classes online. Jasper had dropped his current college classes to devote his time to research, based off Carlisle and Garrett's combined knowledge, Peter and Charlotte's letters, and things he uncovered through really old books.

Really, we all just lounged around Edward and Jasmine's living room, doing our respective homework between bursts of watching TV. After class, that's immediately where I headed. I was ready to sling my backpack and find Jasper—he and Edward and Jasmine were usually playing some kind of game outside while they waited for me—but there was a surprise when I opened the door.

"Alice!" I yelled. True, I had seen her at Christmas, but I didn't realize how much I had missed her since then until I saw her smiling face. I threw myself at her, almost overwhelming her tiny frame. "I thought you were in Paris!"

"You should know better than to think I would miss your birthday," she chastised me.

"Or me!" Emmett's voice drew my attention across the room, where he and Rosalie were. I let go of Alice to hug both of them as well.

"I didn't know turning nineteen got you so many privileges." I could feel tears stinging behind my eyes. They surprised me; I didn't expect to be so bowled over by a surprise party. I blinked them away, watching Alice start to parade in brightly wrapped presents.

"And why would we _not_ celebrate our favorite mostly-human little sister's birthday?" Emmett gave me a solid slap on the back that, while affectionate, nearly sent me over. I caught myself on the back of an armchair.

It hurt more than I would liked to have admitted, that smack from Emmett. I hoped it wouldn't bruise, because I didn't want Emmett to feel bad. Since Carlisle had announced that I was considerably vampire-like, Emmett had assumed that meant I could stand his form of affection: roughhousing.

While it was true that I was stronger and faster now, I was also in the middle of the second week between blood doses. Which, for me, meant that I was tired, and my muscles were achy. Surprisingly, the symptoms of my blood withdrawal were remarkably similar to flu symptoms.

But for Emmett's benefit, I ignored the throb his palm left in my shoulder. Jasper's head perked up, meeting my eye over the cake he was decorating with candles. I had spent three birthdays with the Cullens so far, and every year, they had gotten me some kind of treat even though I was the only one who would eat it.

I shook my head at Jasper when he raised an eyebrow in question, knowing he was likely feeling a twin pain in his own shoulder. His gift of empathy was a strange, but wonderful, thing to me. I knew that he could feel my physical and emotional pain, echoes of my own feelings. Jasper's mouth twisted to the side, and I knew he was more concerned than I was, but he didn't press me on it.

He finished sticking my nineteen candles in the cake, lighting them before they could start melting. Alice, much more gently than Emmett, guided me into an armchair before pushing it close to the coffee table. Everyone—Edward, Jasmine, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper—gathered around to sing.

I had the weirdest sensation watching the candlelight flicker across their faces, specifically Jasmine's. It caught in her eyes, which were a dark amber shade as she adjusted to the animal blood diet the Cullens kept. The light played over the planes of her cheekbones; it shown against her dark curls. Before I had even blown the candles out, I had realized something.

Jasmine and I, we were in the same boat. She was just a step ahead of me, already a vampire, not by her choice but by Maria's. When Maria took her, Jasmine ended up with a clean break from her human life.

But I was clinging to mine. My break was going to be messy, and it was going to hurt.

I had a weird sinking and soaring feeling as I blew those nineteen candles out. Sinking, because this was the first birthday without my family—my blood family. Soaring, because my new family had rallied around to make me happy. Hell, Alice had flown in from Paris.

I suddenly didn't know what to feel anymore.

* * *

At home, after my party, Jasper ran a bath for me. He had it memorized; the exact temperature, the combination of Epsom salts. These baths were what got me through the home stretch of the second week, before Sunday rolled around and I could have blood again.

I sat cross-legged on the closed toilet seat while Jasper swished his hand around the water to help dissolve the salts. "It's ready."

When Jasper walked by me, I turned my face upward. He kissed me before slipping out of the bathroom, leaving me to soak. I undressed in front of the mirror, craning my neck to check if Emmett's hand had left a bruise. It didn't, and I sighed in relief.

Sinking into the warm, salted water always did wonders for my aching muscles. As time wore on between doses of blood, the symptoms got worse. Body aches, headaches. Nausea, because my body certainly did not want human food, even though I forced myself to eat it. My throat became itchy, too. According to Jasper, the itching throat was not all too different from how he felt when he went too long between feedings.

I closed my eyes and held my breath, letting myself sink entirely under the water. This was the only place I let myself think about the darkest places my mind liked to wander.

_If I became a vampire, who would do it? We can't break the treaty with the Quileute. But I'm selfish; I _only_ want Jasper to finish what Maria started. How would we pass off my disappearance? I don't want the Cullens to get in trouble. Gunner. What about Gunner? He would know the truth. Would he be able to keep it a secret for me?_

The thoughts ran through my head until I couldn't hold my breath anymore. Lungs on fire, I pushed my head above water.

* * *

_Do you have a passport?_

Jasper's questioned buzzed through to my phone while I was at work. I was shelving books, luckily, so I could take a moment to text him back.

_No?_

I re-shelved three more books before another text came through.

_Have you ever gotten hepatitis A & B, typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, and/or rabies vaccines?_

What the hell was Jasper getting at? I took a chance, tapping his name so I could call him.

"Hey," Jasper answered. Before I could say anything, he was talking. "Carlisle reminded me of something. He bought an island off the coast of South America; you can get there from Rio de Janeiro. The housekeeping staff is…knowledgeable about our kind. Carlisle and Esme have heard them talk of local legends, of humans who cohabitate with vampires."

"Oh," I breathed out. This could be a lead. This could be answers. "And you want to go?"

"Not until the summer, so we don't affect your classes. That gives us time to get a passport in order for you."

"Um, also the shots. I don't want to test fate and see if the venom in my blood safeguards me against yellow fever carrying mosquitoes."

"You do want to go, then? It won't really be a vacation. We might have to hike deep into the jungle to find the people behind the legends." He was trying to hide it, but I could hear the excitement in Jasper's voice.

"Duh. First of all, the Amazon Rainforest is cool. Second of all…" I let the sentence fall off. If I said it out loud, what if it didn't come true? What if it was just another frustrating dead end?

"Alice!" I whisper-shouted, suddenly thinking of her. She had been trying to help us with her visions, but there were so many variables involved that she could only give us possible scenarios, nothing concrete.

"She's sitting beside me, looking as we speak." Emmett and Rosalie had left, back to New York, the day after my birthday. Alice had stayed behind to spend a few weeks with all of us before her next adventure.

I could see Alice in my mind's eye, the way her big eyes went unfocused, her jaw falling slack, so her lips were ever-so-slightly parted. Physically in the present, consciousness in the future.

"Let me know. I better get off my phone before I end up fired."

"I'll text you. I love you."

I was barely able to tell him that I loved him, too, before the line disconnected.

South America.

_South._

_America._

I couldn't let myself get too excited. I made myself focus on shelving the books in the right spots. The last thing I needed was to be called out for ruining the Dewey decimal system.

But.

How could I _not_ be excited? This could really be something. Something hidden deep in the forest, an old practice that we thought was almost gone from the world. I would hike a million miles without question if I could just find out I might have another option.

I was sure Edward had heard this in my thoughts before, even though I hadn't even told Jasper. To Edward's credit, he was incredibly discrete. He only ever voiced other's thoughts when he thought it was necessary. Adjusting to having a mind reader around all the time was hard for me, and I wasn't as good at guarding my thoughts as I probably should have been.

So, I'm sure Edward did hear me thinking about something impossible. I had no idea how it would happen, what it would take, but deep down, I was secretly hoping there might be something else that we could do. Something that would allow me to stay as I was now, in this in between state between human and vampire.

It was a selfish desire. I knew that. These thoughts were bred from the fact that I didn't want to give up my human life, my _family_, until it was entirely unavoidable. I wanted to see Ava grow up, firsthand, for as long as I could. I didn't want to be Gunner's dirty secret, still alive and well, while the rest of our family believed me to be dead. I tried not to think about how impossible it was. I tried not to think about it at all.

But damn. I would be lying if I said I didn't want it.

* * *

**A/N: **Y'all. I'm _heart broken._ I got the FUNNIEST spam review on the last chapter, and I really wanted everyone to read it. The spam was about alien rattlesnakes and it was probably some kind of word vomit from one of those robot script writing simulators or whatever, but I was cracking up reading it. I really wanted everyone else to read it, too, because I loved it so much.

Alas, FF seems to have deleted it, because it's not there anymore. I had full intentions to leave it up because I wanted y'all to see it to. Such is life, I guess.

The alien rattlesnake had a tissue from a 1534 Lord from Wales, though, so you know he was a classy dude.

Anyway. The plot thickens just like the humidity in South America. I think we all know what characters we're going to encounter relatively soon!


	4. Chapter Four: Gunner

**-GUNNER-**

* * *

It was easier than I thought it would be to get Mom on board with me and Leah going to Alaska together. Actually, I hardly had to do any of the work. I had Ava to thank for that.

"Maisie didn't buy _me_ a ticket?!" Ava asked when I brought the subject at dinner. Her little voice was so incredulous that I almost laughed. Dad did chuckle. He made no attempts to hide the fact that he thought Ava was hilarious. More than once, Dad had been in trouble with Mom for laughing at something Ava did when he should have been punishing her.

"Maisie knows you're scared of planes," I covered quickly. "And you _have_ to take a plane to get to Alaska."

Ava nodded with all the sage wisdom you would expect from a monk, not a six-year-old. "See, Mama? Maisie knows. She's smart. She's good at taking care of things, not like Gunner."

I rolled my eyes at her while Dad busted out laughing. In Ava's book, I really couldn't do anything right, from putting a bow in her hair to making macaroni for her. "You just can't catch a break with this one around."

"Don't remind me," I grumbled, taking a bite of my green beans. Ava plowed on ahead, ignoring Dad's laughing at us and the way Mom's eyebrows had started to knit together.

"Also, Maisie loves Leah and Leah's not scared of planes. So they should go, 'cause it's not nice to keep sisters from each other when they're both not scared of planes."

_"Sisters?"_ Mom asked incredulously. She was still getting over the fact that Maisie lived in Alaska, alone, with Jasper. We had all heard her comments about how they were moving too fast, their relationship becoming too serious for their young age. Ava proclaiming Leah and Maisie 'sisters' made her cut her eyes at me. "Does Ava know something I don't?"

I held my hands up, palms out._ I'm innocent._ "I don't know what she's talking about, either."

"Leah is my sister, too," Ava asserted. She folded her arms across her chest, still holding a forkful of roast. The meat slid from the tines, not even making it to the floor before Ava's dog, Pepper, managed to snatch it out of the air. "But Jasper is _not_ my brother."

This made Dad burst into another fit of laughter. It was a wonder that he was making it through dinner without choking on anything. "Explain the logic behind that one to me, Ava Bug."

"The world just doesn't need more brothers, Daddy."

"There you have it, hon. The ruler of the realm has spoken." He held his hand out to her, passing the conversation—and the final verdict—to Mom.

Mom exhaled, long and loud, through her nose.

_Play the 'I'm eighteen now card',_ I heard Maisie's voice in my head. If that was the only thing that would get me to Alaska, I would stoop low enough to use it. I opened my mouth, but Mom beat me.

"I suppose," she began, speaking as if each word was glass cutting her mouth, "that we shouldn't waste Maisie's money, since she bought the tickets before you could even ask. Don't even try to tell me that my sneaky older children weren't in on it, either."

All my breath rushed out of my lungs. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until now.

_"Thank you,"_ I breathed out.

"There's going to be rules, though. I hope that house has more than one guest room, or you might be sleeping on the couch for a week, Gunner. I'll call that sister of yours tonight."

I didn't know why Mom was going to bother with trying to lay rules down for Maisie. I think we both knew that Maisie wasn't going to listen, no matter how agreeable she might sound on the phone. Dinner ending couldn't come soon enough. Rushing back up to my room after, I grabbed my phone off my bed.

_Alaska is a go,_ I typed out to Maisie. Then I tapped on Leah's name, hitting the call button.

"Hey," she answered almost immediately.

"We get to go to Alaska!" The words tumbled out of my mouth.

"I was going even if you weren't," Leah said, laughing. I liked her laugh. She was so serious most of the time, and hearing her laugh was like earning a special treat. "Sorry to break that to you."

"I figured you would," I admitted. "Just be happy we get to go _together._"

"Of course I'm happy." There was something there, something she hadn't said. I waited a moment to see if she would tell me. "Will you go with me to the Cullen's house tomorrow? Sam wants me to talk to Carlisle."

"What for?" I asked. Then I remembered to add, "Yeah, of course. I'll go with you."

"He's just difficult. He could go talk to Carlisle himself, but he's lazy, and Emily doesn't like for him to step foot in the Cullen house. She's convinced he'll never come back out, no matter how many meetings we've had."

She was quiet for a beat. There was always tension between Leah and Sam, but I wasn't sure why. I always assumed it was because Leah was the only girl—a lot of the guys in the wolf pack didn't like that.

"Oh!" Leah must have realized she never actually answered my question. "There's been a vampire hanging around the edges of the territory line. We haven't seen them. They're quick, and they visit a lot. Sam wanted to see if Carlisle had noticed anything, and if he would come out there and see if he recognizes the scent."

"Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. Listen, I better get this project done before we leave in a week, or my mom will never let me hear the end of it."

"You know," Leah mused, "they always said we would miss high school once it was over, but I just can't say that I do. Have fun with your homework, love you."

"Love you, too," I barely got out before the line went dead. Leah was always _go, go, go._ Sometimes I got tired just watching her.

It wasn't until I had hung up with Leah that I realized Maisie had replied.

_!_

_I told you so, Gun_

* * *

I liked the Cullens a lot. They had always been good to my sister. Plus, they had saved my family before Maisie even started dating Jasper. Not to mention their help with Maria.

I wouldn't say they saved my life in that instance, though. That was all Maisie.

We went to the Cullens' a few days before we left for Alaska. Their huge house felt empty, two quiet, with all the 'kids' gone. It was too much house for just Carlisle and Esme.

"Hey, Dr. Cullen," I greeted when he opened the door at our knock. He was rubbing at his eye, like we had interrupted his sleep, but I knew that was impossible. Vampires didn't sleep.

"Hello, Gunner, Leah. I apologize, it seems nobody's vision is immune to eyestrain from laptop screens, not even a vampire's. Please, come in." He moved to the side, opening the door for us to pass through.

Esme stepped into the house through one of the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the back wall of the living room. She had always ben a hugger, and today was no exception. I didn't mind at all when Esme wrapped her cool arms around me. Unlike Leah, I didn't think vampires stank. Esme smelled like fresh powder and flowers, not the sour smell Leah and Seth had described to me.

Leah did a good job soldiering through her own hug, though. "What a surprise! I'm sorry I don't have anything for the two of you. I don't keep snacks on hand, now that Maisie isn't often here."

The same sadness that I saw in my own mom's eyes was reflecting in Esme's when she said my sister's name.

"That's okay, Esme." Leah waved her concern away with her hand. "We're going to see Maisie in a few days."

"Yes, that's right. Your mother called, Gunner, to see if there was anything we needed to send along with you for Jasper. We do have something, if you wouldn't mind tucking it away in your suitcase. I'm hesitant to send it by mail, you see."

Carlisle disappeared into his office. He returned a moment later with a small, leather-bound book in his hand.

"Hopefully Jasper remembers his Latin lessons, or else Edward will have to help him translate." He pressed the book into my hand. It felt dry and brittle against my skin. "Something to aid him in his research. I've already read through it, but I'm curious to see if he comes to the same conclusions."

"Conclusions?" I asked. I knew we weren't there for asking questions about Maisie, but I couldn't help myself.

"Yes, as I'm sure you know, Maisie is not the first human to have vampire venom in her system long term. This book is actually a diary, it seems. I've marked the pages for Jasper where our friend from the past discusses a…dietary schedule to aid in maintaining health. The trouble, I suspect, will come in getting Maisie to agree to it."

"She's stubborn," Leah immediately agreed. "But if anyone can talk Maisie into something, it would probably be Jasper. And if he can't manage to do it, Gunner will."

With hardly a pause, she turned to Carlisle. "I know there's been _a lot_ of vampires come through lately, but I was wondering if either of you had noticed a... lingering vampire?"

Carlisle's eyebrows pulled together, Esme's expression mirroring his. "No, at least not on this side of town, nor at the hospital. Have you noticed anything in Port Angeles, love?"

Esme shook her head. "Where have you encountered this, Leah?"

"I haven't…" She admitted. "It hasn't been happening on my patrol area. But Jake and Embry have noticed a pattern. Every few months, they'll catch scent of a certain vampire, but every time try to catch sight of them, they're gone."

Carlisle cut his eyes toward the windows and I followed his gaze. A heavy rain had stopped barely ten minutes before me and Leah had headed over. Looking out the window, I realized that Esme was bolstering drooping plants with rods out in the garden.

"The spring rains are torrential. We'll have to act fast if Sam would like Esme and I to check before the scent gets washed away again. Here, allow me to write down my cellular phone number. Please let Sam know I would like him to call me as soon as Jake or Embry report the scent again."

"Of course." There really was no other reaction to have to Carlisle beside agreeing with him. He just had this way of phrasing things; there was definitely a reason why he was the leader of his family. Sometimes I thought about Jasper, about how he had led a armies at two different points in his life, yet he was subservient to Carlisle. I knew most of it had to do with respect and love, but I was certain part of it was the way Carlisle talked, too.

He sent us on our way with the phone number in Leah's pocket and the book for Jasper in my hand.

A handful of days later, Leah and I found ourselves on a plane headed for Alaska. It was the first time Leah had ever flown, but she wasn't nervous at all. Actually, she spent most of the flight asleep, her head resting on my shoulder. I tried to nap with her, resting my head on top of Leah's, but it was no use. I just couldn't drift into sleep with the low buzz of conversation from everyone else on the plane.

Instead, I flipped aimlessly through Carlisle's book while Leah slept, careful not to disrupt her dreams. I didn't understand a word of Latin, so it was useless to understand any of the journal entries. But there were drawings in there, too.

I wanted to look through the book, or at least I thought I did. Jasper was the head researcher in this endeavor and Maisie downplayed everything happening to her. Even if I could read the words on the pages I could at least inspect the drawing and try to glean some meaning from them. Carlisle had said that whoever owned this journal and written it had knowledge about people like Maisie. I wanted that knowledge, too.

A few were wounds, flesh torn open in jagged pieces that made me think of the scars left behind on my wrist. Carlisle had reassured me more than once that it was psychosomatic, but sometimes I swore I could still feel a dull echo of the burn Maria's venom had caused there. _Phantom pains,_ Carlisle called them.

I didn't have to read the captions on those drawings to understand they were depicting vampire wounds.

In almost the perfect center of the book was a detailed drawing of a human heart. I didn't know what century the book had come from, but I could guess that medical knowledge was not that advanced at the time it was drawn.

_Maybe whoever wrote this did some grave robbing,_ I thought to myself. _Or they were a murderer. Or an old timey mortician._

Toward the end of the book, though, was a set of drawings that really caught my eye.

These drawings depicted a man with shaggy dark hair. In the first drawing, he was smiling, lips curling under a heavy mustache. His cheeks rounded with his smile, crinkling the sides of his bright, clear eyes. He was happy, healthy. To my surprise, under the drawing of his face, there was a date. _1632._

The next drawing was dated 1636. Only four years after the first, but the man in the drawing looked significantly older. His hair was cropped short now, his beard shaved away. The etching beneath his eyes conveyed dark circles. His cheeks were drawn hollow, his mouth closed and downturned, eyes no longer bright but rather murky and sad.

1639's drawing was a shadow of the man depicted in 1632. His skin looked stretched tight over his bones. Whoever drew the picture no longer colored his hair in dark now; it was speckled white with age. Despite it being only a drawing in an old book, those eyes stared hauntingly up at me.

There were no more drawings after 1639.

It doesn't take a genius to guess why.


	5. Chapter Five: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

A dramatic (but not dramatized) summary of picking up Gunner and Leah from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport:

Me, letting go of Jasper's hand as soon as I caught sight of my brother's red hair. Running, really _running_, across the airport, only to have to stop short, of course, because I couldn't go past the check-in area. Jasper's low chuckle when he caught up to me, his hand on the small of my back as I bounced on my toes to see Gunner better.

"Hey, Gunner!" His head swiveling. He didn't see me at first. Leah waving, catching his elbow, pointing me out. They rushed through the rest of the bag checking process and as soon as they were on our side, I caught Gunner up in a hug.

Never mind that we had seen each other at Christmas. That was months ago; a lifetime, really. I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face into his shoulder. Something I had learned after moving was that life was harder without my brother than I had ever anticipated.

* * *

We ended up at a restaurant called Orso after picking Gunner and Leah up from the airport. Both of them wanted seafood, which I hated, but I relented for them.

"Y'all are disgusting," I couldn't help but wrinkle my nose as Gunner and Leah tucked into their salmon and cod. I had ordered under the guise that Jasper and I would be sharing my chicken fettucine, but of course, everyone at our table knew my bluff.

I was a little surprised Jasper had been so willing to come to the restaurant with us. It was warm and people-filled on that Friday night, and that combination was uncomfortable for him, I knew. The consistency with which he had rubbed his nose every few minutes, to cover the human scent with his own, was evidence enough of that.

He was probably trying to prove to Leah that vampires could be civil, reiterating through his actions that his family was good.

"_You_ don't know what's good in life," Leah countered. Her voice drew my attention away from watching Jasper out of the corner of my eye. She pointed at me with her fork, which had a hunk of fish on the end of it. "Nice haircut, by the way."

Self-consciously, I raised a hand to my hair, smoothing it over the newly cut bangs.

"Yeah, what's with that?" Gunner asked, mouth full of disgusting fish. "Makes you look like Ava."

Jasper laughed beside me, and I elbowed him under the table. "It does, just a bit."

"Listen," I defended myself, "sometimes you're feeling extra existential crisis-y and you decide giving yourself wispy bangs is a great idea."

"You forgot the part where you mess them up and your boyfriend has to help you fix them." I had been betrayed. I glared at Jasper, but he only grinned sweetly back at me.

"Watch it, Whitlock," I grumbled at him. If either Gunner or Leah heard, they gave no indication. Their attention was back on their fish. I touched my bangs again. I didn't think the wispy bangs looked _bad_…especially now that they had grown out a little. When I first cut them, they were crooked, and Jasper had to help me even them out.

When we got back home, I quickly dispelled Mom's separate bedroom rule that she had tried to lay down for Gunner and Leah before they left Forks.

"I really don't care where you sleep, just don't get me in trouble," I told Gunner, waving him away when he started to repeat Mom's rule. Gunner had kept it a secret for me all those nights Jasper stayed the night with me after he found out. I figured I owed him one.

"And, uh, Jasper doesn't sleep," I reminded him in a whisper. "So don't be surprised if you come downstairs for water and he's just hanging out in the living room."

"I did forget about that, actually." I watched Gunner slide his backpack off carefully before resting it on the couch.

"Got something breakable in there, Gun?"

"Uh, kinda." He stuck his arm inside, rifling around until he pulled his hand out, holding a little book. "From Carlisle. It's in Latin, but he said Jasper knows Latin? It's, um, for…"

Gunner's sentence fell off entirely. I could see in his face that he didn't know how to phrase what he was trying to say. That was obvious in the scrunch of his eyebrows and the downturned corners of his mouth. "I'm gonna go help Jasper with the bags."

Suddenly, I found myself alone in the house. Jasper and Gunner were unloading the car; Leah said she was feeling restless from the long flight and had gone on a run. I wasn't sure why Gunner had given me the book rather than Jasper. I didn't know Latin. But I flipped through the thin, yellow pages anyway.

I wondered how old the book was. It was obviously handwritten, bound in leather. There was no title embossed on either cover, so I doubted it was a novel. The only decoration on the cover was a starburst pattern someone had carved into the letter. I didn't spend much time on the book, though. I added it to Jasper's stack of books and his laptop on the coffee table.

With the little book discarded, I went to the door to hold it open while Jasper and Gunner marched the luggage inside. Leah trailed after them, back from her run. Her cheeks were flushed with pink and she smiled brightly at Gunner before kissing his cheek.

"I didn't realize sitting on a plane sucked so much," Leah said. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

A big yawn punctuated her sentiment, making Gunner smile softly. He took her hand in his so gently. Not for the first time, I was thankful for whatever old magic or what have you existed in the Quileute tribe and brought Leah and Gunner together.

"Go to bed," I told them. "_I_ still have class in the morning, so I'll be turning in soon, too."

"Must suck not to be on spring break," Gunner threw over his shoulder, leading Leah up the stairs. "Sorry I can't relate."

"I didn't fly you to Alaska to kick your ass, but I will if you don't watch it," I called after Gunner, making both him and Leah laugh. Jasper, lounging on the couch behind me, laughed, too. When Gunner and Leah had disappeared into the guest bedroom, Jasper caught my arm, tugging me gently down to the couch with him.

"I like your bangs, by the way." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah, _now_ you take up for me." Even with Gunner and Jasper's teasing at my expense, I was too happy over having my brother and one of my best friends there to be mad. I rolled away from Jasper, reaching behind me to pluck that old book off the coffee table. "Carlisle sent a gift."

The book caught Jasper's eye. He took it from my hand, sitting up to look at it. When he sat up, Jasper wrapped his arm around me, taking me with him and settling me into his lap.

"Huh," he muttered, flipping through the book's pages just like I had. Something caught his eye and he stopped, holding the book open flat against my legs. He underscored a date with his finger. _November 21st, 1630._

"Whoever penned this book is roughly from Carlisle's time," he murmured to me. I read the date again. 1630…that would make Carlisle around three hundred-eighty years old. "Or, shortly after, I suppose. Carlisle estimates himself to have spent around four hundred years on this earth."

"I…never knew that." Jasper's laugh rumbled against my back.

"He's not much one to brag. I'll show some of his portraits in his office next time we're in Forks." He flipped lazily through the pages for a few more moments. I watched the pages flutter back and forth between his fingers. If anything else was of interest to him, he didn't comment.

"You're tired," he said instead. Not a question, but a statement of fact. He was surely feeling the waves of sleepiness that were starting to overtake me. We had gone on a hike during my science class, collecting spring flora for microscope slides and identification during lab tomorrow. It had only been a handful of miles, but that accompanied by my excitement over Gunner and Leah had apparently worn me out.

"Yeah, I am." I didn't disagree. Jasper set the book aside, shifting my weight in his arms so he could lift me. "You know, you're making me incredibly spoiled."

"You deserve to be." Jasper carried me up the stairs and to our bedroom. Over his shoulder, I peeked at his map again. France was stained red just like the Southern United States now. I vaguely remembered from past history lessons that Latin was a common language to use for writing in the past. That meant this book really could have come from anywhere. I wondered lazily which country would be marked next.

I changed into my pajamas and kissed Jasper goodnight before crawling into bed. "Lemme know what you learn about over breakfast."

"I will," he promised me, turning out the light on his way out.

* * *

What I did not expect, in the morning, was for Jasper to have printouts and a rough timeline to present to us in the morning. I guess this was mostly for Leah's benefit, so she could share the information with Sam when she and Gunner returned to Forks. While three of us ate the breakfast burritos I made, Jasper gave us an early morning lecture.

"Excuse the timeline. I only have three data points, and one of them isn't very accurate. Gunner, thank you for bringing the book from Carlisle for me. I haven't read it yet, because I've been following a lead from South America, also from Carlisle."

Gunner gave Jasper a thumbs up, his mouth full of food. "The hard facts we know are that 'marking' began as a fashion statement in France for God knows what reason. We know Maria, and other newborn army leaders, have used the practice in the United States. Soft facts: we know there are vampire legends in South America, referred to as _libishomen_, but Internet searches haven't yielded anything other than the same legend of male vampires 'seeking out beautiful women'."

Leah flipped through her stapled print-out. "If that's all there supposedly is in South America, then why go?"

"Well," I threw in. "Surprise to everyone, and by everyone, I mean _me_, but Esme owns an island off the coast of South America that is cared for by locals who have _better_ legends involving humans with vampire-esque abilities."

"'Better legends'." Leah laughed after she swallowed a bite of her burrito. "I love you Maisie."

"I know, I'm hilarious. But that's the rundown of why we're going to South America!"

"How are you going to explain that to Mom and Dad?" Gunner asked. Before I could answer, my phone started to buzz, an alarm telling me to go to class flashing across the screen. I ate the last bite of my burrito and started to shrug into my jacket.

"Well," I said, "_if_ Carlisle and Esme just so happen to be taking the whole family on a summer vacation, and _if_ I were invited on this family vacation, and if Edward's girlfriend is _also_ going, can Mom and Dad _really_ be too mad at me for accepting the extended invitation via Jasper?"

"Wait, Edward has a girlfriend?!" Out of all the things I said, that was all that Gunner honed-in on.

"Sure? Maybe?" I paused to grab my backpack off the floor, bouncing onto my tiptoes to kiss Jasper before heading toward the door. "We don't really know, but we like to refer to Jasmine as Edward's girlfriend. He's surprisingly secretive for someone who can read everyone else's minds."

* * *

**A/N: **Hello, friends! I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story. I am trying to keep each chapter _at least _over 2,000 words so chapters aren't short. But I'm also a brat and like the way certain scenes play out from certain perspectives, so I've been sequestering those scenes to those certain characters.

ANYWAY. I just want to thank y'all again for showing this story so much love right off the bat! I am so exciting to get into this story with y'all and explore more of Maisie, Gunner, and Jasmine's lives. I love you all!


	6. Chapter Six: Gunner

**-GUNNER-**

* * *

We were invited to a vampire party while we were in Alaska.

I had no idea Maisie had so many vampire friends, until a girl with bright blonde hair showed up at her door. Maisie had sent me to open it, and when I saw the girl's golden eyes, I instantly knew what she was.

Leah was behind me in the next moment, but the girl only smiled. "You must be Maisie's brother! She talks nonstop about you. And you're Leah, right? From the wolf pack?"

"Yeah, that's us." I looked over my shoulder and called to my sister. "Maisie!"

She came bouncing from the kitchen. When Maisie looked at this vampire standing on her front porch, a big smile broke out on her face. "Kate!"

"Maisie!" They hugged each other, and Maisie pulled this Kate into the house.

"Guys, this is Kate! She helped with Maria and all that mess. Where's Garrett?"

"Bothering Edward and Jasper, I'm sure."

The Cullen brothers and Jasmine had gone to hunt. Though they fed on animals, they had still gone far into the Alaskan wilderness, away from the towns. According to Jasper, that's where the 'better game' was.

"Kate's an Alaskan too," Maisie was explaining. "But she's been travelling with Garrett. He was there for the Maria mess, too."

I looked at Leah over the top of Maisie's head, but she shrugged. Apparently, she didn't remember Kate or Garrett, either.

"Wait!" Leah said suddenly, interrupting something Kate had been saying to Maisie. "You were at Rosalie's wedding, right? With your…"

She let the sentence drop off suddenly, her cheeks turning red in a blush. I raised my eyebrow at Leah, but she dropped her eyes to the floor. This Kate waved her hand around.

"With my sisters, yes. You were there that night, then. Don't worry, I don't hold what happened that night against your pack. I mean, Carlisle has been telling us for decades about the pact that you and his family share. Irina should have known better, it's not like we didn't know who Laurent was."

I didn't know who either Irina or Laurent was. Kate must have assumed I was in the know, because she switched subjects immediately.

"We're in state visiting family in Denali, but we wanted to swing by and see you too! We're taking Garrett out on the water tomorrow night, to see the Northern Lights. You would _think_ with all the travelling he's done, he would bother to look up at the sky at some point, but apparently he's never seen them!"

Kate turned to us again, a huge smile on her face. "Have either of you seen them?"

"Um, no," I admitted. It was only our second day in Alaska. "We haven't."

"You two _have_ to come! The season for them is almost over. We'll make a party of it!"

This girl's excitement left no room for us to argue. I would have, because I knew how Leah felt about vampires who are _not_ part of the Cullen family. In other words…she didn't trust or want to be around any vampire Carlisle hadn't adopted.

"We would love to," Leah said before I could even open my mouth.

Leah just laid her head on my shoulder, though, listening to Kate prattle on to Maisie.

* * *

"A vampire party," I mumbled to myself later that night, laying in bed with Leah. She tossed her phone onto the bedside table, rolling to wrap her leg around mine and laying her head on my chest.

"A first time for everything." Jasper and Maisie were at Edward and Jasmine's. I wasn't worried about Jasper overhearing us. "I _want_ to go. Kate smells familiar."

I had heard the other wolves discuss Leah's ability to tell the Cullens by scent, because she had spent time with them. To the guys, all the vampires smelled the same. But according to Leah, there were different scents. For example, Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie all smelled really similar, because Carlisle had turned the other four. Jasper and Maisie smelled similar, because Maria had turned Jasper and marked Maisie. Alice smelled different than all the rest, because she had a different 'creator'. There was no thread of commonality binding Alice like the others.

"I should've known there was an ulterior motive." Leah laughed, tipping her head back to kiss me. "Familiar as in…the vampire who's been hanging around La Push?"

"_Exactly._ See, you're getting so good at this." So, that was Leah's game in agreeing to going to the wedding. She wanted to see if the vampire who had been a Forks frequent flyer would be in attendance, too.

I hoped for Leah's sake that her hunch was right. Sam didn't take our going to Alaska well. Leah was one of the older, more experienced wolves in the pack. She was smaller than the others, too, making her quick on her feet. She had been instrumental in disposing of the newborns during the fight with Maria and the subsequent stragglers since then.

I ran my fingers through Leah's short hair while she drifted to sleep. I must have fallen asleep, too, though. I woke up in the middle of the night, curled around Leah. As usual when we shared a bed, the blankets had ended up kicked to the floor. Leah ran so hot, her skin always almost feverish, we didn't even need blankets when we slept together.

I rolled away from Leah, terribly thirsty. Another hazard of sleeping with Leah, though I wouldn't trade it for the world. When she stayed over at our house back in Forks, I was pretty good at taking a glass of water to bed with me for this very reason.

Here in Alaska, I had forgotten, so I made my way down the hall and to the stairs. Maisie had told me, _Jasper doesn't sleep. So don't be surprised if you come downstairs for water and he's just hanging out in the living room._

But I had forgotten, so when I found that the lights were on downstairs, it made me stop in my tracks. The downstairs of Maisie and Jasper's house had an open floor plan; from the stairs, I could see through the living room and into the kitchen.

If Jasper knew I was standing on the stairs, clearly able to see them, he gave no indication. Rather, in the kitchen, he helped Maisie wrap a blanket more securely around her and pressed a steaming cup into her hands.

"Oh, you're holding your breath again." Her voice was teasing. She looked into the cup, wrinkling her nose before lifting it to her lips to take a drink. "I thought we were past that."

"Not while Gunner is here." Jasper's voice sounded strained. He was standing close to Maisie where she sat perched on a stool. Maisie took another drink from her cup, and as I watched her, the pieces fell into place.

"Oh, duh. Thanks for that."

I knew my sister had to drink blood now. She had explained it to me, and so had Leah, and so had Carlisle. I had heard it from three different people, from three different perspectives, but I had tucked all of those away in my mind. I knew it was happening, but I had never seen it, so it was all too easy to pretend it had never happened.

Now I could see, though. I watched Maisie sigh, lifting her cup to her mouth and drinking the rest of it in quick gulps. I watched Jasper set the cup aside once Maisie had finished. She opened her arms, letting Jasper into the circle of her blanket, wrapping him into it with her and resting her head against his chest.

Jasper cradled her head, running his fingers through her hair in the same soothing way I had run mine through Leah's when we went to sleep. He was whispering something to her, but I was too far away to hear any of the words he spoke.

I felt like a creep, watching this intimate moment between Maisie and Jasper. My drink entirely forgotten, I tiptoed back to the guest bedroom. Leah was out to the world, but I pulled her close to me while she slept. I held her through the rest of the night, but I couldn't quite make it back to sleep myself.

* * *

I remembered Jasper could feel my emotions, even though I had forgotten he doesn't sleep. There wasn't a doubt that Jasper could feel my unease the next day, but he didn't make a comment on it. Instead, I was invited to play online Mortal Kombat with him, Edward, and Emmett.

"Hey, Gun," Emmett had picked up on Maisie's nickname for me instantly. I had noticed that Emmett was a fan of shortening everyone's names. _Jazz. Eddy. Maise. Ali. Rose._ "Has anyone at Forks High found the sandwich I put in the ceiling of the cafeteria?"

"That was _you_?" I was distracted for just a split second, but it was long enough for Edward to decapitate my character. I reached across the couch and gave my controller to Jasper so they could start the next round.

Emmett was in New York. His voice came to us from the headsets we all had, a little muffled from the sound effects of the game. Still, I could hear his big laugh easily.

"Hell yeah! I do it at every school we go to, after Eddy and Ali graduate."

"It smelled like death for _months_. No one knew where it was coming from. The janitors only found it because it turned into this gross sludge and started soaking through the ceiling tile." Emmett laughed so loud I almost took my headset off.

"Yes! I never know how it ends up. Unfortunately, I don't know any vampires who can see into the past for me."

"Please, don't encourage him," Edward complained, even as he tossed his controller back to me after being bested by Jasper. I barely caught it in time. "We've been trying to teach him to behave for decades."

"And I've been telling you it's a lost cause for decades," Jasper said, his eyes not leaving the screen as we started our match.

"You're just upset that Jasmine finds me hilarious, Eduardo."

Our afternoon passed in this way, battling each other at various video games. At one point, Emmett and Edward got in a heated argument over Emmett's supposed cheating. Jasper pleaded ignorance and told them to take it outside if they were going to end up fighting. I won't lie, I got kind of scared at that thought, and I guess Edward picked up on that through his mind reading, because he immediately dropped it.

Maisie and Leah had abandoned me here for the afternoon, going our to shop and have dinner together. At least Jasper was making an attempt to entertain me, though. I guess, because I was _in the know_, Jasper and Edward had dropped all pretenses around me. I wasn't sure Emmett ever had pretenses. But they all three talked openly about hunting, about Jasmine's progress as a newborn vampire. Jasper and Edward moved so quickly, their thumbs flying over the controllers. I was surprised they didn't cause the game to lag, they punched in combinations so fast.

Still, I was happy when Maisie and Leah returned home, giving me an excuse to leave the games and eat the food they brought me.

"Here, I bought you a new wardrobe, too," Maisie told me, handing over a bag. "I know you _think_ you know cold, but wait until we're out on the water. You'll thank me for this tonight."

I was busy shoveling lava cake in my mouth, but I nodded. Leah laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think you understand. Maisie's going to have you in so many layers, you'll hardly be able to move."

"It can't be _that_ bad." But I was naïve. There was a thermal under layer and thick wool socks. A pair of insulated pants that looked like something you would wear skiing; a heavy parka. Wool gloves, the thickest beanie I had ever seen. I put it all on, instantly sweating in the house, just to make Maisie happy.

"Now we really are twins," she told me when I came downstairs. Maisie was dressed almost the same way. It wasn't lost on me that Edward, Jasmine, and Jasper were wearing much thinner layers. Leah never needed a coat, even in the snow, but even she had opted for a jacket and long sleeves.

"Our delicate little humans," Leah teased, pinching my cheek. I pursed my lips, but she only laughed. "Let's go see some Northern Lights."

* * *

**A/N:** Y'all I have the worst sunburn I've ever had in my life. The sun is the devil. This has been a PSA.

Also, FriendlyNeighborhoodHufflepuff: First, I love you too! Second, I know when I'm being a brat and I'm not afraid to admit it! ;)

MOST IMPORTANTLY, y'all don't forget to check out _Remembrance_ by littlebeachhut! She has been putting out new chapters!

See you guys soon, I promise there is action coming in this story, but like I said... I'm kind of a brat. Also still getting used to/experimenting with this whole changing perspectives each chapter thing. But I am really enjoying it! I hope y'all are too!

As always, thank you to everyone who leaves a review, follows, and favorites this story! Y'all are all awesome!


	7. Chapter Seven: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

Jasper was tense as we walked down the pier. I knew the source: Jasmine. He didn't trust her…and I wasn't sure how much that distrust had to do with her being a newborn. Jasper was not one to forget a slight, and Jasmine's time in Maria's Forks-based newborn army wasn't forgotten, I was sure.

Gunner flicked the pompom on top of my knit hat, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"I thought you were just being dramatic over the cold here," he told me, his breath solidifying in a puff in front of his face. I wondered if he noticed that Jasper, Edward, and Jasmine's breath didn't do the same. "But this _sucks._"

"Good thing you've got Leah," I reminded him. The werewolves ran so hot, I'm sure Gunner had no problem keeping warm, really.

With his arm slung over my shoulder, it wasn't hard for me to notice when Jasper's head whipped around. In profile, I watched his eye narrow, his brow raised in an unasked question.

"Be nice," I scolded him, as Edward dipped his head to whisper something in Jasmine's ear. He spoke too quickly and quietly for me to make out any of the words, but beside him, Jasmine dropped her shoulders. It didn't make her look any more relaxed.

Jasper blew his breath out in a puff. He pulled me closer for a moment, but I knew it had nothing to do with whatever emotion he was catching off Jasmine. Since our move to Alaska, Jasper's interaction with humans had pigeonholed to myself. He wouldn't admit that he was having a difficult time with Gunner around.

Every time the wind shifted just so, Jasper kissed the top of my head or pulled me closer. Erasing Gunner's scent with my own.

I took a deep breath. Bracing cold, salty sea air filled my lungs. I was hoping it would offer some calming, but it didn't. I didn't like feeling like I was playing a game of cat and mouse by having Gunner around. At the same time, I couldn't deny that he was in a precarious position, even with me and Leah there.

I got a reminder of that when Jasper's hand trailed to the small of my back, leading me ahead of him so that both of us were between Gunner and Jasmine.

"There's new family to meet here tonight," Edward said behind us. A distraction, I was sure.

Here on the boat, beside the smiling picture that Kate and Garrett made were Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar.

"Eddy! You've been in Alaska for months and you haven't visited me once!"

I hid my laugh by turning my head, pressing my face against Jasper's jacket to muffle it. When Tanya threw herself forward, apparently with full trust that Edward would just catch her, I had to roll my eyes.

"C'mon," I told Gunner, catching his hand and pulling him toward the boat railing. "What's really fun about Alaska is that the animals don't see humans much, so they aren't as afraid of us."

"Are you determined to make friends with all the Alaskan wildlife you can, too?" Gunner asked, taking a peek over the edge of the boat himself. Jasper laughed as I leaned over the railing, scanning the dark water for any signs of marine life.

"It's her life's goal, always, it seems."

The water was inky black in the night, making it hard to see if anything was there beneath the waves. I felt Jasper's hand hover along my waist—a safeguard, should I fall over. Something shifted beneath the water, and to Jasper's credit, I did lean closer to it, reaching my hand out.

I was rewarded with a curious dolphin sticking its head above the water. The dolphin wasn't alone; the clicking of its companions could be heard over the waves caused by the boat's motion.

"See?" I told Gunner, waving him and Leah closer with my other hand. "They're curious."

It took some coaxing, but I got Leah to hold her hand out above the water, too. The dolphins were playful, and not at all afraid of us or the boat. While Gunner watched and grimaced, me and Leah eventually got one of the dolphins to jump from the water just high enough to bump our hands.

"Have they got fish over there or something?" Tanya asked somewhere behind us.

"No," Jasmine's voice. "Maisie just…does that. There was a rabbit family she fed over the winter."

"Huh." Tanya quickly lost interest in us, it seemed. "So! Jasmine! Tell me about yourself."

Leah turned her head toward me, a mischievous spark in her eyes. I was trying not to laugh, myself. It was obvious that Tanya was jealous over Jasmine's mere existence.

"What are you two laughing about?" Gunner asked. When I looked up at him, I saw how furrowed his brows were. Only then did I realize that Jasmine and Tanya hadn't been speaking loudly. Of course Gunner wouldn't hear their hushed conversation. But I had been able to…because of the boost the venom in my blood gave my senses.

A chill ran through me and I pushed away from the railing. "Nothing. Just the dolphins."

I only thought I had left lying to my brother behind when Bella Swan had thrust him into the world of the supernatural. I forced myself to block out the rest of Jasmine and Tanya's conversation.

It was short-lived, anyway.

Before I could even decide how I felt about this realization, there was a shout from Kate.

"Irina! You're soaking wet!"

I peeked around Gunner, who turned as soon as Kate spoke, and noticed someone pulling herself out of water and scaling the far side of the boat. Leah stepped forward—of course she recognized Irina.

Pulling on Gunner's sleeve to get his attention, I pushed myself onto my tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

"That's Irina," I told him, cutting my eyes to watch the way Jasper walked, tensed as a cat set to pounce, to stand with Edward and Jasmine. "The one who started the whole mess with Maria."

"Well, that's what happens when you don't get invited to the initial send-off and have to swim to the boat." The seawater dripped from Irina, weighing down her clothes and the long sheet of her pale-blonde hair. When she looked around, I noticed her eyes were pitch black.

I knew what that meant. Hungry vampires, I had learned from Jasper's stories, were more dangerous. Less controlled, less _human._ Seeing her eyes as dark as the water surrounding us that night was enough for me to take a step in front of Gunner, too.

"We didn't even know you were in Alaska, sister," Tanya said, breaking away from the frontline Edward and Jasper formed to approach Irina.

Irina behaved as if she hadn't heard a word of Tanya's explanation. She gestured wildly toward Leah. "You can invite a rabid, overgrown excuse for a _dog_, but not your own sister on your little outing."

Leah seemed to be shaking, almost imperceptibly. When Jasper reached over and laid his hand on her arm, I was surprised that she didn't pull away. He didn't speak to her, but suddenly, I felt the blanket of calm that Jasper was projecting forward. My eyes flicked to him, taking in the rigidness of his back despite the soothing wave he had just put out.

All it would take was one misstep on Irina's part to set him in motion.

"Irina." I shivered at Jasper's tone of voice. "There's no need for this. Stop, before you force it to come to blows."

"Before _I_ force it to blows?" Irina laughed, a hysterical sound. "My own _family_ invited one of those stupid, murderous dogs to spend time with them, as if she were one of us! And two humans on top of that!"

"Leah didn't kill Laurent. She protected me that night, but she didn't join the fight," I reminded her. "Besides, Laurent knew what could happen if he set foot in Forks again. There's no one to blame but him for what happened that night."

"I would have_ gladly_ taken out that leech, but I can't take credit," Leah spat at Irina. Jasper's calming efforts were wasted on Leah. She was still shaking, even when Gunner reached out to touch her arm.

An image of Emily Young's scarred face ran through my mind. She had earned those scars from a terrible accident from one of Sam's shifts. Leah would never forgive herself if she hurt Gunner that way, I knew.

Irina was fast, but Edward was faster. She lunged for Leah, a growl ripping from her throat, but Edward caught her about the waist in the same moment. In one fluid motion, he tossed Irina backward. "Hold onto her for me."

When Edward threw her, Irina's back collided with Jasmine's chest. Immediately, Jasmine locked her arms around Irina. With her newborn strength, I knew that Irina had no chance of escape.

Even if she managed it, Jasper was less than a foot away.

Kate appeared beside Jasmine, electricity crackling against her palm. One touch and Irina went slack, the fight leaving her.

"This is getting out of hand," Tanya whispered to her sister, but that was all I heard of the conversation. Leah had reached over, grabbing hold of my arm just below my elbow. Her fingers dug into my skin, but I didn't pull away from her.

"What's wrong?" I asked instead, laying my hand over hers. But even though she was hanging onto me, Leah was clearly having a one-sided conversation with Edward.

"You're sure?" Edward asked. "I need you to be positive, Leah. Show me again."

No one but Edward knew what passed through Leah's mind, but it must not have been good. Edward's face clouded over, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "Great, okay. Yes, I agree. When we get home."

I was sure that Edward was keeping his answers vague for good reason, but that didn't change the fact that I was annoyed by it. Gunner looked to me, confused, and all I could do was shrug. Eventually, when she had calmed, Leah let got of my arm to take Gunner's hand instead.

"I'll get us a rowboat," Jasper said, holding his hand out to me. I slipped mine into his immediately. I wanted off that boat as much as I suspected he did. Irina wasn't a person I was keen on ever seeing again, and it made me sick to my stomach to have Leah and Gunner so close to her.

There was a profusion of apologies on behalf of Irina from Tanya and Kate. They came back to the shore with us, while Garrett, Carmen, and Eleazar kept watch over their sister. Edward was gentlemanly as ever, but I don't think the rest of us were able to conjure the same sentiments. It was a mostly silent boat ride back, with Jasper rowing.

"We don't have time for another fight," Jasper was brooding as we walked back to our cars. I felt his eyes on my cheek as he spoke, but I kept my gaze straight ahead. I didn't want to talk about _that _in front of the others, even my brother and Leah.

"There won't be one," Edward tried to soothe. I wasn't so sure, judging by the dark look on Leah's face.

* * *

Leah spilled everything back at our house.

"It makes so much sense now!" She was nearly shouting. Leah had already Sam; he was on speaker phone while she talked. So was Carlisle, via Jasper's phone. We had a regular conference call going on. "_She_ is the one who's been hanging around the territory line!"

"I must admit, it makes sense. Irina is aware of the territory and the treaty. She would know better than to cross onto Quileute land. But the question is, _why?_"

"Vengeance," Edward supplied as way of an answer. "Pure vengeance. I'm not sure what she's plotting. Alice might be able to determine more than I can, now that we know. I think Jasper can attest, Irina's filled with hatred."

"It was sickening," Jasper murmured. His eyes were fixed on Gunner. You could practically see the wheels turning in Jasper's head, and Edward's eyes kept flicking to his brother's face.


	8. Chapter Eight: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

We had all seen how hatred and anger had driven Maria to Forks. The difference between Maria and Irina was that Irina had family to help us temper her ire. Kate called once Leah had finished explaining to Sam and Carlisle that she had identified Irina's scent as the one left behind while she was creeping around La Push.

"Don't worry," Kate reassured us. "We're not letting her out of our sight. We'll have an intervention with her to stop this madness. I'm so sorry you're still having to deal with it."

That was only half true. Kate, Garrett, Tanya, Eleazar, and Carmen would be dealing with it. Better them than us.

"What is it with vampires and grudges?" Gunner asked. The immediate threat having past, he was lounging on the couch with his head in Leah's lap. She was threading her fingers through his hair, but still wearing her pensive look from earlier.

"When you've got eternal life, there's infinite time before you to devote to revenge," Edward offered by way of explanation. I took a cue from my brother, curling up with Jasper in one of the armchairs. He was quick to wrap his arms around me, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. "I think Maria was evidence enough of that. She waited how many decades for the perfect opportunity to try to even the perceived slight of Jasper leaving her army."

Jasmine was sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest. She had divided her magnificent curls into twin puffy buns that sat atop her head, a few errant strands framing her face.

I twirled the length of Jasper's hoodie string around my finger, watching her. Jasmine still wasn't entirely comfortable with all of us. We were all learning about her in spurts, when she offered something about herself.

"All the time in the world still wasn't enough for how angry Maria was all the time." Jasmine didn't often talk about her experience in Maria's smaller newborn army, created with the express purpose of killing both Jasper and I. "We didn't even know Maisie's name for the first month and a half because Maria just called her _'la puta'_ all the time."

"She called me WHAT?!" I didn't mean to yell, but I was instantly mad. I pushed away from Jasper, propelling myself upright in my anger. Edward chuckled at my reaction, though Leah and Gunner wore twin masks of confusion. Jasper caught my wrist, trying to pull me back down, a soothing wave of calm nudging at me. I glared at him over my shoulder.

"Translation for the white boy, please." Gunner asked, raising his hand like he was in class.

"For the Quileute girl, too."

"It's a derogatory term," Jasper quickly threw in their direction. He tugged again at my arm. "Honey, please. You can't fight the dead."

"_Bet._" I told Jasper, before turning to my brother and Leah. "It means, like, _whore_ or _bitch_ in Spanish. I'm pissed."

Finally, I let Jasper pull me back down to him. But I crossed my arms over my chest, continuing my pout. He continued to try to soothe me, but I stubbornly pushed away every attempt.

Now Gunner was having a hard time containing his laughter, too, as if Edward laughing wasn't bad enough. Stupid ginger boys.

"I'm gonna remember that one," he managed between his laughs.

"I'm sure you will, _pendejo,_" I grumbled. He only laughed again, oblivious to the insult I had hurled his way.

"How do you propose to fight the dead?" Edward asked, clearly not done with baiting me.

"Get me a Ouija board, I'll summon her."

I wasn't all that sad when Gunner and Leah headed up to bed and Edward and Jasmine went home. That night, while Jasper laid in bed with me, I wasn't so confident that Kate and Tanya's 'intervention' would be all that effective with Irena.

"What if they don't get through to her?" I asked Jasper. Gunner and Leah were both asleep—I could tell from the even breathing coming from the room next door. The walls in our house weren't thin by any means, but I had noticed that my hearing was improving the longer I was on this blood supplemented diet. It was kind of like when my reflexing got better after the second dose of venom from Maria.

"We have Alice," Jasper reminded me. I knew he had a point, but I groaned anyway.

"She has her blank spots, though. Alice can't see the wolves. Leah tried to ask her who was hanging around the territory line, and Alice couldn't see, of course."

I felt his shrug against my cheek, where my head lay on his shoulder. "Irena doesn't know that. Hell, our Denali cousins didn't even know about the treaty with the wolves until Laurent died. She can't use Ali's sight weakness as her strength."

He really did have a point there. I couldn't argue with that.

I rolled myself so I was on top of him. completely flush with his body. "_But,_ they won't be able to watch Irena forever."

Jasper's hands found my waist in the dark. He dragged them downward, over my hips and across the back of my this before moving them back up. I didn't mean too, but I shivered against him, making him chuckle.

"Would it surprise you if I told you I wouldn't care much what happened to Irena?"

It was rare that Jasper used his true vampire speed in front of me, but this time he did. Before I knew it, I was beneath him. He titled my chin up, kissing along the length of my throat. Sometimes, I thought he liked to show off the control he was able to exert over his bloodlust when he was around me.

"No," I admitted with a breathy laugh. "I hear your kind is prone to grudges."

"Oh, and you're not?"

It was equally rare for me to use my full enhanced strength with Jasper. I kept it that way so it would be a surprise every time, such as now when I pushed against him playfully, giving myself enough room to wiggle out from under him.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're rude, Jasper Whitlock?"

He was still faster and stronger than me. Giggling, I did my best to escape him, but it was no use. With a victorious little growl, Jasper easily pinned me beneath him again.

"Maisie Thompson likes to speak ill of me, but what does she know? I hear she tries to fight ghosts."

"Sounds like a cool girl to me." I barely got the words out before Jasper nearly interrupted me with a kiss.

* * *

I was itching to make a trip to Denali, where Kate and Tanya were effectively keeping Irena under house arrest, but I knew Gunner was liable to want to come with me. I also knew that Leah would _not_ be okay with that. It wasn't hard to see why she wanted as many miles between Gunner and Irena as possible after Irena's little outburst on the boat.

For the time being, I made myself be okay with waiting. It gave me more time to spend with Gunner and Leah for the last three days of their visit, anyway. I learned a lot about the goings-on in Forks while we played in what was left of the winter snow, which had been stubbornly sticking around.

"Did Leah bother to tell you about her mom and Charlie Swan?" That question earned Gunner a face full of snow courtesy of Leah.

"We don't speak of that, Gunner Rhett." I had gotten Leah into the habit of referring to Gunner with his full name. "It's a cursed subject."

"You could be Bella's stepsister!" I couldn't help laughing, earning myself a deluge of snow myself. Quickly, I turned away, letting the snow pelt me on the back. While I laughed, I peeked through the living room window, where Edward and Jasper sat around the little book Gunner had brought.

With their copper and gold heads dipped low over the coffee table, I knew they were reading the hand-written pages and checking each other's translations. It was slow work, translating Latin to English, but they were making headway.

"Please tell me you'll call Charlie 'dad'," I continued despite Leah still lobbing snow at me. "The guy deserves a child who'll show him that respect."

Leah paused in her assault long enough to roll her eyes. "Please, don't remind me. We all made fun of Bella endlessly for calling him by his first name."

"Can you imagine if one day we just started calling Dad Chris instead?" Gunner asked. "We'd be dead."

_"Exactly."_

Other notable tidbits included Sam and Emily's upcoming wedding, the boon in the Newtons' business brought on by the antics of the wolves disposing of straggler vampires (some of the younger wolves had left prints behind at the scene), and a myriad of stories about Ava finding Gunner entirely lacking and incapable.

Those three days went by too quickly. Before I knew it, the final morning dawned, and we had to take Gunner and Leah back to the airport. I knew it was only a few weeks until Jasper and I would return to Forks for the summer—before going to South America—but still. Saying goodbye was never getting any easier.

* * *

With spring coming slowly to Alaska, I took up running again. It was impossible when the winter snows were piled thick and high all around. I had started last summer, when we first arrived in the state. Now the snow was either melted or sequestered to shade spots; I hardly splashed through any at all when I took my winding runs around the forest.

I always ran with headphones in, much to Jasper's chagrin. He thought it was foolhardy, especially when I went running while the others were off hunting. _A bear would be louder than my music,_ I would tell him. But a vampire would not be, which I never took into consideration until Irina interrupted my run just one day after Gunner and Leah had left.

She dropped, fluid, from a tree. Irina landed just before me. I was so surprised that when I tried to stop short of colliding with her, I slipped in the spring mud, falling backward.

Irina made no attempt to help me. I caught myself—barely—before I landed on my ass. Hands muddied, I pushed myself up and pulled my headphones out. "What?"

Before she even spoke, Irina already looked annoyed. My lack of greeting didn't do anything to change that. Her pale eyebrows pulled together; her mouth twisted like whatever she was about to say left a bad taste in her mouth. "You've bested me before."

"I don't remember you doing much work last year," I told her. "I bested Maria, while you sat back and let someone else take your shot for you."

Her eyes narrowed, clearly not pleased. I realized her eyes were as black as they had been that night on the boat. Irina still hadn't fed. She would be testy, I knew. Irina's twisted mouth shifted into a smirk.

"I hear you've got travel plans this summer. South America, right? What a shame. Italy is lovely in the summertime. I think I _might_ make a visit there, myself."

"I don't have any business in Italy. Where's Kate? Or Tanya?"

Irina smiled here, lovely and radiant. She was just as beautiful as Kate and Tanya, though I hadn't realized before. What a change not having your face perpetually scowling can make.

"Just a suggestion. Now, please excuse me. I think I'll catch up to the others. I've been let out on good behavior, so I can drink. Edward and Jasper are off hunting, right?"

I regarded her for a moment, rubbing my hands together to dislodge the mud on my skin. "Uh, yeah."

She was gone before I even finished the sentence. Rolling my eyes, I put my headphones back in. With my path no longer blocked, I started to run again.

"What a weirdo," I muttered to myself. Was this Irina's weird way of trying to make amends? Offering travel suggestions to me before joining the boys and Jasmine to hunt? I guessed apologies were overrated.


	9. Chapter Nine: Gunner

**-Gunner-**

* * *

Apparently, colleges get out for the summer before high schools do. Which I found to be annoying, especially when Maisie dramatically burst through the front door with her luggage. I forgot Dad had gone to get her from the airport.

"Ava!" I heard her yell. I rolled my eyes and turned back to study guide. Before I could read the next question to Derrick, he leaned forward to whisper to me.

"Dude, your sister's gotten hotter. How's that possible?" Now I rolled my eyes at him. And hit him with my pencil, for good measure.

"Shut the hell up. She's still obsessed with Jasper. You don't have a chance." Still, Derrick watched Maisie put Ava to work helping her get her luggage up to her old bedroom.

"You gonna tell me what this stick up your ass is about?" Derrick was still whispering to me, probably because Mom was flitting in and out of the kitchen, checking on the lasagna in the oven.

I dropped my pen and rand my hands over my face instead. _No, D, I'm not. Because half of my problems revolve around my girlfriend's stupid wolf pack._

"I _have_ to get a good grade on this bio final," I said instead. "My parents are gonna kill me if I get a D and have to take a summer class to make it up after graduation."

That was a legitimate concern. I had sucked at biology II all year. If I didn't make a B or higher on this final, then I would have a D at the end of the school year. I would have to beg to walk at graduation _and_ take a remedial course during the summer to make up the difference between my final grade and a C to get my diploma in my hand.

"Alright," Derrick conceded. I guess it showed on my face how stressed out I was by all this. "We'll study. Like, really study. Give me the guide and I'll ask you questions for a while."

There was still a week until our bio final. We had time to study. I just hoped that the information stuck in my brain, and I was able to remember it on test day. It was just so hard to concentrate when my mind kept wandering back to every guy I'd like to punch in the face if I could.

Surprisingly, this was something in my life that had nothing to do with Maisie. She was still human, so the pack had no further complaints they could make. About Maisie, anyway.

Complaining about _me_ was another story. Well, not me, specifically. I guess it probably would have been same for any guy Leah imprinted on, if it hadn't been me. Because no matter who it was that fate brought to Leah, he would have been just as weak compared to Leah as I was.

To be fair, it wasn't most of the pack. Sam and his second- and third-in-commands, Jared and Paul, were cool with me. They had too much respect for the whole idea of imprinting not to be. And Seth had always been friendly with me, even before I started dating Leah and he and his friends would join us at La Push Beach when we made trips over there.

The younger boys—all of which Seth had taken under his wing—weren't that bad, either. Their comments, at least, were said in true jest.

Who was I kidding? It was mostly Jacob, Quil, and Embry.

_Does Leah let you wear the pants?_

_Hey, man, who tops? Like, seriously._

_Eventually we're gonna end up seeing you naked from all the times you go through Leah's head when we're all wolfed out._

"They're just jealous because none of _them_ have imprinted," Leah would tell me. Her words weren't as soothing as she intended them to be, though. I doubted it had much to do with imprinting, and a lot more to do with all three of them just being assholes.

And I was hung up on all of this because of a tradition for the younger wolves. The pack newbies hadn't heard Billy Black's retelling of the Cold Ones legend. I hadn't heard it either and I had only heard the legend in joking tones before I knew it was real.

"What this thing you're going to with Leah tonight?" Mom asked me over dinner. It was Maisie's first night home, and I knew Mom was annoyed I had plans. She was watching Maisie pick the green chile out of her casserole. With Maisie's head dipped over her plate, she missed how Mom shook her head affectionately at her.

"Uh, it's just a bonfire thing," I told her. "It's tradition for the elders to tell the tribe legends around a bonfire, I guess. Keeps the heritage alive, you know?"

_That_ caught Maisie's attention. Her head shot up, and so did one of her eyebrows, disappearing under the edge of her bangs. I knew she knew, there was no way she didn't, so I nodded at her unasked question. Maisie nodded back and returned to digging through her food.

"Leah invited you along for something like that? Huh, sounds pretty special." The only teasing I could stand was from Dad, who dramatically waggled his eyebrows to make Ava giggle over her plate.

"It's not a big deal," I tried to downplay, but I could feel my face getting hot. Obviously, I wasn't part of the Quileute tribe so… It kind of _was_ a big deal.

* * *

"Don't worry, I have a sneaking suspicion that asshats one through three will be on their best behavior tonight with the oldies around."

That was how Leah greeted me at her front door, in a whisper so Charlie Swan wouldn't hear over the baseball game he was watching in the Clearwater living room, before she slipped her hand into mine and led me back down the driveway. Seth came tumbling out of the house after us, jumping from the front porch to make up the distance we had gained on him.

"Hey, wait for me. I don't wanna walk in the dark alone."

"We're walking there?" I asked, making Leah roll her eyes.

"You two, I swear. It will not kill either of you to walk to the cliff. It's not even far."

"Yeah, but they did make these great inventions a while back," Seth started, throwing a wink my way. "I don't know if you've heard of them. See, they've got wheels and make it easier and faster to get places. People have been calling them 'cars'. Gunner's even got one."

I had to admit, I was impressed with the punch that Leah threw her brother's way with her left arm. But I had to be equally impressed with how quickly Seth ducked away from the punch, laughing all the while.

"Nobody asked you, Booboo."

On we walked until we were on top of the cliff Leah had mentioned earlier. It was an outcropping of rock that overlooked the beach. I could smell the sea air wafting up to us on the cold night breeze. Never mind that it was late spring; that meant nothing, temperature wise, in Forks at night in May. There was already a fire going when we got there, illuminating Sam and the others as they passed around typical bonfire foods.

Somehow Leah already had s'mores supplies in her hands, skewering marshmallows and passing them to me and Seth.

"You wanna eat now, before old Billy Black starts talking," Seth advised me. "Once he starts, it's hard to pay attention to anything else. You'll end up holding a gross, cold s'more in your hand before you know it."

"You've heard the stories then?" I asked, knowing Seth would know what I meant. Of course, any kid in the Quileute tribe would have heard the legends growing up. Only pack members—and imprintees—heard the legends as facts around these bonfires.

"Oh, yeah. They threw one for me and Leah when we phased. I think we had earned it."

Yeah, Seth, I guess phasing in front of your dad and them him dying of a heart attack earns you a bonfire.

Leah pulled her marshmallow from the fire, bringing it closer to my face so I could blow out the flames for her. Surprisingly, there wasn't even a comment from Jacob or one of his buddies about me being Leah's bitch or anything. I guess they were on their best behavior for Billy, and the other older men around the fire.

We ate our s'mores in silence, trying not to drip molten chocolate all over us. Seth ended up with a smear across his cheek; Leah licked her thumb and wiped it away, leaning across me to reach him. I caught Leah as she started to pull away, wrapping my arm around her as she rested her head on my shoulder.

She kissed the space just below my ear before whispering, "It's about to start."

A quiet had fallen around the circle, muffling and then silencing the laughter and chatter around the fire. And then Billy Black started to tell a story that I had only heard in between laughs and eyerolls.

"Chief Taha Aki had a long reign, and our people prospered under his careful watch. He defeated Utlapa, saving the Quileute people and becoming the Great Wolf. For over two hundred years, he protected the tribe, and paved the way for his descendants to take the wolf form even today."

I had heard Billy speak a few times, but now his gravelly voice carried such a solemnity to it that I felt enraptured by it. Leah, who had already heard this story time and again, had slid her hand up my hoodie to rest against my chest. Even the burn of her skin on mine did not draw my attention away like it usually did.

"It was during his reign that the Cold Ones first appeared," Billy continued, "and they, ultimately, were the reason his reign ended."

His voice carried on, mixing with the smoke from the fire. He told us how the Cold Man and Woman, the first vampires the Quileute had ever encountered, terrorized the Makah people and nearly started a war between the tribes. The revelations of what the Cold Ones were—their 'sickly-sweet' smell, cold bodies, near indestructibility.

The fights that ensued between Taha Aki's sons and these strange beings.

"So vengeful was the Cold Woman, for her mate's death, she was determined to destroy the Quileute tribe, and try she did. All of Taha Aki's older sons perished, leaving only their father to battle the Cold Woman. But Taha Aki was over two centuries old, and though he was a valiant warrior still, he wasn't as strong as he once was. The Cold Woman very well may have succeeded, had the Third Wife not plunged a knife into her heart to save her people."

The Third Wife's sacrifice. Taha Aki's retreat from the tribe, still in his wolf form, never to be seen again.

Despite being flanked on each side by Leah and Seth—both of who radiated nearly as much heat as the fire—I got colder and colder the more Billy spoke. My insides felt like ice as he described the barbaric ways of the ancient vampires.

My mind was racing, but I couldn't reconcile the image of these brutal hunters snapping the necks of the Makah girls and draining their blood with the polite and genteel Cullens.

When Maisie's face swam up in my thoughts, I pushed it down immediately. Never mind that no one here could read my mind like Edward could; I would have died on the spot if anyone knew I had compared my very much alive, very much not a killer sister to those cold beasts.

"To this day, we battle Cold Ones." Was it a trick of the firelight, or was Billy really looking right at me even as I tried to avoid his eye? "Though now they try to deny their nature and hide behind a human face, the Cold Ones remain our enemies. But one day, those masks may slip, and we must make ourselves ready for the day we may be at war with the Cold Ones again."

There was such a finality to his words, they sent a shiver through my body that not even Leah wrapped around me could ward it off.

* * *

"Hey, Gun."

When we were little, Maisie used to wake up before me all the time. She would come into my room and lean over my bed, so that her long hair tickled my nose. Just like it did the morning after the bonfire.

"Mmmm." I rolled away from her, but, of course, that didn't dissuade Maisie in the slightest. She climbed onto my bed, occupying the space I had made, my mattress dipping under her weight.

"Let's get tattoos."

I rolled again, stretching my legs, trying to cling to the sleep my sister's voice was pulling me out of. "What?"

"Tattoos. There's this expo thing in Port Angeles tonight. C'mon, it would be fun. And you're eighteen, I'm nineteen, Mom and Dad can't tell us no."

Giving up at sleep, I pushed myself up, so I was sitting beside her.

"When did you get this idea?" I asked, eyeing her through my fingers as I rubbed at my face. Her cheeks were flushed, meaning Jasper must have given her a dose of blood last night. I had learned to track these subtle changes in her during my time in Alaska.

"Last night, while I was reading to Ava. She's on a space kick. We read about moon phases."

I smirked, already knowing where this was going. "You think I should get a full moon because Leah's a werewolf, huh?"

"It's fitting," she admitted, running her fingers through the ends of her hair. "But we were both born under full moons, did you know that? Yours could be gray scale, traditional. I would get mine in red ink."

Maisie smiled at me then, waiting for me to get her joke. When it clicked, I groaned at her, falling back into my pillows and blankets.

"You know making it a blood moon would be funny."

"Hilarious," I told her, stretching out and trying to kick her off my bed. "Get outta my room, unless you come back with breakfast."

* * *

**A/N:** Do you ever just randomly remember that the actor who played Seth was named Booboo Stewart? And then you go on a deep dive about him on Google and read all about his acting career? And then use the actor's name as Leah's nickname for Seth in your fic?

Same.

Anyway, I know I said I wouldn't put this out until Saturday, but I'll be travelling tomorrow so I decided to go ahead and post it tonight.

Now that it's summer, (in the story) a lot of fun will be happening. Mostly: The Cullen family on Isle Esme, which I have been SO EXCITED to write. There's a ton of ideas in my head, a lot involving scenes between one of my favorite dynamics-Maisie and Emmett.


	10. Chapter Ten: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

_Come with me to Port Angeles._

That was all Jasper's text sent, but I knew exactly what business we had in Port Angeles. Jasmine, though very much a real person, was no longer _officially_ a real person. Just a little complication that came along with becoming a vampire.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that the Cullen family had a contact for creating false documents for them. I mean, who knows how many countless falsified credentials Carlisle has used to get hired at various hospitals. What I was surprised about was the fact that _Jasper_, of all the Cullens, was the one who handled all the business with procuring these documents.

While I knew that Jasper was charming—God, did I know he was charming, with that Southern drawl and his rare, slow smiles—I also knew that he struggled the most with just generally being around humans. To say I was curious to see Jasper in this capacity was an understatement. Plus, with Mom and Dad at work, and Ava and Gunner both at school, there was no need for the _'You live with Jasper in Alaska, you spend plenty of time with him as it is'_ lecture I had already heard countless times from my parents in the week I had spent back in Forks.

Suffice it to say, it did not take much convincing for me to leave my half-folded laundry on my bed in favor of riding on the back of Jasper's motorcycle.

"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked when Jasper picked me up. He handed me my helmet, watching me slip it over my head and rearrange my hair.

"A business meeting, of sorts. I think you ought to meet my… friend, J. Jenks."

Talking to Jasper while he drove was nearly impossible, what with the wind from our velocity and the helmets. I was no longer scared to ride with him, so instead of tucking my face between his shoulder blades, I watched the highway blur around me and wondered who this mysterious Jenks was that we were meeting.

Jasper droves us to a nondescript office building in a side of Port Angeles I had never seen. To say it was in a rough neighborhood would have been the understatement of the century. The gray exterior was bare of any kind of name or even address. Though we were alone on the sidewalk, from what I could tell, I found myself moving closer to Jasper. Sensing my unease, he wrapped an arm around my waist as he led me forward.

"You're perfectly safe here, _mi corazon_." Despite the spreading warmth in my chest that followed his words, I still wasn't entirely convinced. I was certain I was _only_ safe in this place because Jasper was with me.

Still, I followed Jasper into the building. There was no receptionist at the front desk. Really, the whole building seemed as deserted as the block it stood on. Up a flight of silent stairs, around an eerily quiet corner, and Jasper had me standing in front of an unlabeled door.

He rapped his knuckles against the wood, and a man's voice answered: "Come in."

I peeked up at Jasper, unsure, but he nodded for me to open the door.

The man sitting behind the shoddy clapboard desk did not fit his surroundings whatsoever. He was middle-aged, but his short, dark hair was the only give away to that. Though it was peppered with gray, his dark skin was smooth and unlined. Unlike his surroundings, his tailored suit radiated an air of wealth.

"Mr. Jasper," the man greeted in his deep voice, standing and reaching across the table to shake Jasper's hand. If he had any reaction to Jasper's cool skin, he didn't show it. "You're looking well as ever. And you've brought a guest. Who is this?"

"Maisie," Jasper introduced for me. "She's very dear to me, as well as to my _family_."

The emphasis Jasper placed on that final word seemed to affect the man before me. When he offered his hand for me to shake, I could see the tremble to his fingers. He squeezed my hand more tightly than I expected, surprised, I guessed, that I was as warm as him.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Maisie. My business partners know me as J. Jenks." He withdrew his hand from mine, reaching into his suit jacket. From within, he produced an unmarked manila envelope.

"Please, have a seat, Mr. Jasper. As always, I hope the documents are to your liking." Jenks swept his hand outward, motioning to the over-stuffed chairs before the desk. Jasper pulled mine out for me, and I sat carefully on the edge while he occupied the other one. Jenks, I noticed, did not sit down.

Instead, he clasped his hands before him, fingers intertwined. I watched the way he held them so tightly, the color began to blanche around his knuckles. Looking up at his face, I realized Jenks had been watching me, too. I smiled at him, hoping it might ease some of the fear I was sure Jasper invoking in him. But this seemed to only take him aback, making his face go a shade paler as well as he quickly diverted his eyes.

I was so intrigued by J. Jenks that I didn't even bother to take a peek at the documents Jasper was analyzing. He must have approved, though. Jasper pulled an envelope of his own from his pocket, filled with money I was sure, and offered it to Jenks across the table.

"Thank you," was all that Jasper said about the state of the documents he slid back inside the envelope. And just like that, it seemed like we were done. Jasper extended a hand to me, helping me from my seat on that lumpy, red chair.

"Always the finest work for my best clients," Jenks said, attempting a smile that wavered on his lips and didn't come close to reaching his eyes.

"Thank you!" I reiterated again, because I felt bad for the man. I wasn't even sure what I was thanking him for, but I smiled at him one more time over my shoulder as Jasper led me out of the room. This time, the smile he gave me was almost genuine, even if fear did still shine from his eyes.

"_Jasper. Whitlock._" I chastised Jasper on the stairs, whispering his name. "You were torturing that poor man."

"I've been doing business with J since the eighties," he countered. "If he was faint of heart, he would've perished decades ago."

"You don't have to make him so scared, though!"

"I brought Edward with me once," Jasper told me out on the street, tucking the envelope into his own jacket the way Jenks had concealed it earlier. "Just to get a read on the man's thoughts. Medical experimentation, cult, some kind of underground Botox ring—plenty of far-fetched, off-base ideas about the fact that I don't age. But 'vampire' was never a word that crossed his thoughts, and we need to keep it that way. As long as he fears me, he'll respect us."

Sure, I could see the value in that statement, but it still had me pouting as we climbed back onto the motorcycle. "This is a favor for Edward, anyway. Jasmine needs some kind of identity to use, and Esme was kind enough to loan her maiden name to her."

I didn't see the documents until we were back at my house, but sure enough, the birth certificate, social security card, driver's license, and passport all bore the name _Jasmine Platt_ on them.

I had recently gotten my passport, too, for our upcoming trip to South America. Only, mine was done the legal way, with no shady meetings with a man in an expensive suit.

"I guess I never considered all the details that go into the way y'all live." I told Jasper. He sat before me on my bed, cross legged and at ease. A completely different picture than the impassive face he wore in Jenk's office.

"Whitlock, Hale, Brandon, Cullen, Masen, Platt, McCarty…we've been trading surnames for decades now. Having contacts such as Jenks makes the process easier. He's valuable to us."

I considered his words. There was merit in them, sure, but was scaring the poor guy really necessary?

"Respecting someone usually gets you respect back, you know."

"I never said I didn't respect J," Jasper countered. He leaned forward, catching my chin in his hand and gently guiding my face up. "But you humans are fickle things. Respect does not always equate loyalty, does it? Look at any coup, any power move, in history. Respect is never the issue. You know our laws, Maisie. I cannot afford J. Jenks to become disloyal."

"Why did you take me there with you?" I asked him. Jasper was close enough to me that I could feel his breath wash over my face.

"I need you to see all aspects of potentially leading a life like mine."

* * *

To my surprise, I didn't have to bother Gunner too much to convince him to get a tattoo with me. Maybe he knew how serious I was about it, that morning I woke him up. Maybe it was just because Leah told him it was a good idea. Who knows?

Less than a week after I had gone to Port Angeles with Jasper to meet J. Jenks, I found myself there again, this time sitting in a tattoo parlor. Leah and Alice came with us; Edward and Jasper were on a mission to retrieve Emmett and Rosalie from the airport. Alice herself had only gotten to Forks that morning.

"You know Mom's gonna kill us." I rolled my eyes at Gunner.

"Me, maybe. But you're the prodigal son. You're fine."

"Yeah, unless it gets infected, since you don't have special healing agents." Leah teased from beside Gunner, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Did you ask Carlisle about this?" Alice asked. Her eyes were hazy as she gazed at the artwork on the walls. She was looking, but not seeing—her sight was in the future. From the crease forming between her eyebrows, I knew she was having a hard time seeing around Leah. All the Quileute werewolves created blank spots in Alice's visions.

"He said it would be fine. It'll probably heal faster. Maybe." Carlisle and Jasper were making themselves the leading experts on Humans Injected By Vampire Venom, but I was their only subject to observe, so it wasn't like we were working with tons of data here.

"Oh, okay!" And just like that, Alice was back in the present, directing one of her radiant smiles my way.

Jasmine had a tattoo, a tiny little wave outline on the inside of her wrist. If becoming a vampire myself was in my future…at least I knew I wasn't wasting my money for Gunner and I to have these tattoos.

"You know people bleed when they get tattoos, right?" I asked Alice, whispering so low that there was more breath to my words than anything. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought about that until we were already at the tattoo shop.

"Oh, don't worry. _You_ don't bother me. I can mostly only smell Leah, anyway. The werewolf scent is annoyingly strong. I just won't breath once it starts, and all should be fine. I'm _almost_ as well-behaved as Rosalie."

Alice was so self-assured that I didn't question her. I had asked her to come with us so I would have a hand to hold, because I was sure the tattoo would hurt. Twenty minutes later, when the tattoo needle hit my skin, I was happy I had that foresight. I held Alice's hand the _entire time_.

"We're great influences, aren't we?" Leah asked when it was done, turning Gunner's arm this way and that to inspect the new ink in his skin. We got them in the same placement; left forearms, just before the crooks of our elbows. I very kindly let Gunner pick the placement, since I had talked him into getting the tattoos in the first place. "I've had my tattoo since me and Maisie were in high school and here we are, getting you tatted up."

While I had thought it would be funny if mine was red, Gunner had not agreed. He convinced me to get mine in shades of gray and black, so we really would match. Each of us born under full moons, just ten months apart. Maybe we shouldn't have been so surprised we got mixed up with the supernatural.

"Happy early graduation gift to you," I told Gunner. "I guess I could have let you graduate first, but I need this to heal before we go to South America, so I don't end up with some gross infection."

"You wouldn't have to worry about that if you didn't insist on sticking your hands where they don't belong." Alice's nose scrunched in her delicate disgust. She had no memories of her human life, and she was fully put off by animals that weren't her food.

* * *

Our parents weren't as mad as I thought they would be. I think it helped that they were matching, sibling tattoos. And they were in an easy-to-cove spot, if need be.

"Tell me why you really wanted this," Gunner said to me later that night, looking up from his biology notes. I was quizzing him on his study guide as we sat tucked into the window seat in my bedroom.

I looked down at my arm, still covered in the plastic that sealed in the healing gel the tattoo artist had slathered on once she was done. She did both of ours, one after the other. I had gone first, just like I always had in our lives, leaving a path for Gunner to follow. For once, he actually did.

We were not twins, but all my life, Gunner had been there. I had always assumed, before I met Jasper, that our whole lives would be that way.

But I knew better now. I knew, now, that one of us would have to leave the other, eventually. It was a truth that I hated and always pushed away every time it surfaced in my head. I did the same now, shutting down the thought even as it formed and swallowing past the thickness in my throat.

"I just thought it would be cool," I told him.

We both knew that for the lie it was.

* * *

**A/N: **I have missed sharing with you guys so much. You have no idea how happy I am to have inspiration for this story again. I love you all. Thank you for supporting me the way y'all do.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

Rudely, none of my high school friends came back to Forks for the summer.

Lauren loved California too much, but I knew that would happen. Jess had taken on a summer internship—a great distraction and reason not to come back, since she had broken up with Mike. Not that Jess would have had to worry about that; Mike and Tyler had gone on a road trip together to the East Coast.

I felt like they were all moving on from Forks, and there I was, laying on my bed and staring at the ceiling. Gunner and Ava were in school, Mom and Dad were at work, Jasper and Alice were hunting. And me? Staring at my ceiling, because I currently had nothing better to do.

I was also tired, though. But I was refusing to take a nap. It was getting a little more frequent, I was pretty sure, how tired I would get by the fourth or fifth day of the week between _my_ feedings. I wasn't looking forward to the sixth day, when I knew the body aches would start.

Only nineteen years old, but I was pretty sure I was going on seventy at this rate.

I was losing my battle against an accidental nap until the rock hit my window. _That_ scared the hell out of me, ripping me from that fuzzy space right before you fall asleep. Heart hammering, head disoriented, I ran a little clumsily to my window.

The view below revealed Emmett to me.

"They made phones for a reason," I grumbled, knowing he would hear me even without the window opened. He waited for me to push it open before answering me, though.

"What fun is a phone call when you could see my smiling face in person, Maisie?"

I leaned across my window seat, sticking my head out the window. "Well, when you put it that way… Hey, what're you doing here, anyway? Jasper said y'all wouldn't be coming until July."

"Jazz doesn't know my life," Emmett retorted. "I took my exams early and beat Rose here. Let me tell you, Maise, New York sucks. I've decided I hate it and I wanted to come home as soon as I could, even if it meant jetting without my wife. She's not happy with me, by the way, so you should try to be nice to me before she kills me."

"You made the choice for these transgressions," I pointed out to him. "Mind telling me why you've blessed me with this house visit?"

He directed one of his dimpled smiles at me. "We're going to be scientists in South America."

This was enough to pique my interest. I held up a finger to Emmett, telling him to wait, before closing my window and slipping some shoes on. My need for a nap could wait. I met Emmett at the front door moments later.

"You could've jumped and saved us both some time."

"What's time to you, anyway?" I countered.

"Valid. Are you still slow?"

I scrunched my face at him in mock offense, making him laugh before he crouched low. "I take that as a yes. Hop on; I'm immortal, but that doesn't mean I've got all day to wait around for you."

Now, Emmett was taller than Jasper. I was fairly certain they were about the same speed, but the added height of Emmett—or maybe just my temporary fast from my blood feedings—made me nauseous as he ran through the outcropping of forest that separated the Cullen house from mine. A genuine effort not to throw up had to be made on my part, even with my eyes screwed shut.

Lucky for me, Emmett was largely unconcerned with everything that made me human. He and Alice were alike that way, often forgetting how different I was from them. He led me into the house and carried on, completely oblivious to my struggle to _no_t puke.

"Rose is studying medicine again, did you know that? She was writing a paper on debunking junk medical information humans can find online. I need to preface this with: she's already told me this isn't going to work, but I'm a good scientist and need results."

"But what is it that we're doing?" I asked, because he was waiting for an answer. Since I knew he wouldn't notice anything amiss, I sprawled out on one of the couches.

"An experiment! It involves coconuts and me starving myself for a week."

"Alright, you've got me." I conceded defeat, still not seeing where Emmett was going with this. He claimed one of the armchairs across from me, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees.

"I'm gonna wait a week, let my eyes go black, and then drink some coconuts. _Supposedly_ there's some enzymes or whatever, I don't know, in coconut water that's similar to the makeup of blood. Enough that some people have suggested using coconut water as a blood transfusion replacement in extreme emergencies."

The blank stare I was sure I was giving Emmett didn't deter his excitement over this in the least bit. Currently, his eyes were very gold, letting me know he had fed recently. Those golden eyes were shining, his smile letting me know he was fully convinced he was onto something here.

I didn't have the heart to tell him I was pretty sure I would _die_ if coconut water was injected into my veins in the place of blood and plasma.

"I'm gonna hypothesize it'll take at least five glasses to make your eyes change color." Who was I to ruin this for him?

"I'm going with twenty. I can't remember the last time I had any human food, but I'm still gonna call that an educated guess. Wait, how much blood do you think is in three deer?"

"I…don't think I've ever thought about how much blood is in a deer."

Emmett shrugged, reaching for the TV remote. "I'm just gonna go with the very scientific estimate of 'a lot'."

"You're so smart," I murmured to him. Why I decided to lay down again, I had no idea. Even in the Cullen house, which was always just a little too cold because no one who regularly lived there noticed, and with Emmett talking to me, I was fighting sleep again. This time the accidental nap was too strong.

Eventually, while I listened to Emmett ramble on, I fell asleep before I realized what was happening.

* * *

When I woke up, it was dark, and I was much warmer. I was also no longer in the Cullens' living room; I was in Jasper's bedroom. He was probably the one who moved me from the couch to the futon, with the added bonus of a blanket.

"Hello, sleepyhead," Japer's voice greeted me through the dark. I rubbed at my eyes, letting them adjust, until I could see him across the room. He was sprawled across the floor, as he often was, a book in hand. Of course, the dark was no detriment to his reading.

"Hi. What's that?" I stretched and rolled over so that I was laying on my stomach, propping my chin in my hand. "And what time is it?"

"_Slaughterhouse Five_…o'clock."

I nearly threw a pillow at him for that joke. At least I got gratification out of the fact that I knew he could see my disdain through my eye roll. "You're lame."

There was a soft rustling, the only indicator of Jasper's movements. Suddenly, he was before me, running his fingers through my sleep tousled hair. "You're going to be late for dinner."

"Oh, no, I hope I don't get grounded!" His soft chuckle washed over my face. I leaned forward until I was able to kiss him. Little moments like these reminded me how much I loved living with Jasper in Alaska. Too soon, I pulled away, knowing I would have to leave the cozy warmth of the blanket to go home. Instead of lounging around and Jasper bringing me food like he did when I wasn't feeling well, I would have to sit around the table at my own house and put on a good face.

My parents, of course, had no idea I was sick. How was I supposed to explain it to them? _Hey, I'm being slowly poisoned by vampire venom in my blood and the only known cure is to become a vampire myself._

"Twenty days," Jasper reminded me, guessing at where my thoughts had wandered. He ran his thumb along my lips. In twenty days, we would be in South America, searching for more information on venom-infected humans.

"I'm sure as hell not wasting all those shots Carlisle gave me."

* * *

"There goes the prodigal son."

Exactly a year after my own graduation from Forks High School, I found myself there once again. Only this time, it was Gunner walking across the stage. It was a damn good thing he was walking, too—I was going to be pissed if he failed his bio final with myself, Leah, and Derrick quizzing him around the clock.

"Yellow's not his color, huh?" Leah whispered back to me. "My poor guy."

She wasn't wrong. The gold shade of Forks High's graduation gowns wasn't doing any favors for Gunner's bright red hair and ivory skin, but that was hardly his fault.

"Red hair, hand-me-down robes…" Leah thought my _Harry Potter_ reference was funny, smothering her laugh in her hand before snapping another picture of Gunner. Jasper, however, immediately betrayed me by shushing me, and my dad reached across Leah to tap my arm.

"Hey, remember that it's useless to complain about picture quality if you smack the family photographer." I was certain at least one of the shots I got of Gunner walking across the stage would come out blurry when I looked at them later.

Where was Emmett when I needed someone to fully appreciate my jokes? Jasper was the only member sitting through the graduation ceremony for the third year in a row, bless him.

Graduation was only the day after I was late to dinner at my own house. Jasper convinced me to drink some blood last night, and now I was happy he had. If I was still feeling so tired and achy, like I had been yesterday, there was no way I would have been able to sit through the long-winded graduation. What Forks lacked in student population, they made up for in drawn-out ceremonies and speeches.

When Gunner did finally get to walk across the stage, it was such a blip in time. I knew he was walking too fast on purpose, to avoid getting much pictures taken. Unfortunately for him, Leah and I were both armed with cameras. Between the two of us, I was sure there were more than enough pictures for Gunner to groan about. There had already been a whirlwind of pictures before we even left the house earlier this afternoon.

And there was a flurry after, with Mom insisting we pose outside the front of the school in various groups. Jasper took the majority of those pictures.

"I do have a question," Leah asked when we all piled into Gunner's car to follow our parents and Ava to Port Angeles. She turned in the driver's seat to look at Jasper and I in the backseat. "Don't get offended."

We were going to dinner, so I couldn't blame Leah for being curious. Before the words even left her mouth, Jasper caught on, giving her one of his slow smiles. "Just because I don't need human food doesn't mean my body won't digest it."

Carlisle had explained it once to me. Vampires used to be human, after all. The venom that was poisoning me was mostly used to create vampires—a process that involved the venom changing DNA composition when it was diffused throughout the body via blood. Pretty much all digestion processes, aside from the stomach and saliva, are null and void in vampires. Human food will still get digests; it just reaps no benefits for the vampires.

"Also, he'll probably be sneaky and order something really similar to everyone else and then redistribute his food on everyone else's plates." I was not above further selling out Jasper's secrets for appearing human. I liked watching Gunner's reactions too much. You could practically see the gears turning in his head, probably remembering all the times Jasper had 'eaten' dinner at our house when we were in high school.

I leaned forward, to take in Gunner's expression in the passenger seat. His eyebrows were drawn together, and he cut his eyes toward me.

"You're never gonna get tired of this, are you?" He asked me.

"You mean making you question your perceptions and everything you've ever known? No, never."

* * *

I'm sure Edward knew, because of his pesky mindreading, but I hadn't told anyone—not even Jasper or Gunner—how I was on a mission to commit everything I could to memory. If becoming a vampire was my destiny, I knew from Rosalie that you could keep human memories if you played them over and over again in your mind. I was just getting a head start on that process.

Gunner's graduation dinner was no different.

Ava, putting on a show of slurping her fettucine noodles like she was on Lady and the Tramp. The huge, glitter bow Mom had put in her hair kept catching the light, and she insisted on drinking sparkling grape juice because Mom had a glass of wine.

Dad and Ava playing tic-tac-toe on her kids' menu. She was a terrible cheater, putting her fingers over any square that would have given Dad a win. He was a good sport, though, letting her have the win for every game.

Gunner and Leah holding hands under the table. The finger waves in Leah's short hair, which Alice had taught her to style. It still blew my mind that I could get Alice _and_ Leah to hang out with me at the same time, given the strife between vampires and werewolves. Though I knew it was largely for my benefit, I thought Leah might be coming around.

My brother was all relieved smiles and blushes as we showered presents on him. Our parents gave him a large, flat box which Gunner opened to reveal a new laptop. I had gotten the same gift at my graduation, for college. Leah and I _also_ had a large, flat box for Gunner, but it was because we had split the cost of an Xbox One for him. Ava, not one to be put out, had made Gunner a bracelet with her bracelet maker, and Jasper had a money gift from the Cullens.

Jasper, of course. Even if I was fated to join him in eternal life, I didn't want to forget Jasper as I knew him now. He was unfairly handsome in the fluorescent lighting of the restaurant, hair and eyes golden. The mischievous twinkle in his eye when he snuck some of his mashed potatoes onto my plate.

Most of all, I didn't want to forget this feeling. The radiating warmth and happiness, which I knew Jasper was feeling, too, despite himself. His moods so often bled into mine, what with his empathetic powers—though my family was human, and Leah a werewolf, I knew Jasper was happy, too, because I could feel it.

I loved Jasper and his family, but with mine is where I felt whole.

* * *

**A/N:** Gunner graduating is something that would be important to Maisie, which is why it's featured in this chapter.

Next chapter, we're going to South America.

I love y'all. I'll see you then.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

Rio de Janeiro.

Flying to Rio de Janeiro involved a lot of things.

First, there was the packing, which my mom helped me with. Well, that's kind of a lie. The real first step was getting my parents to not be so entirely opposed to me going in the first place. I mean, I was an adult, so they couldn't stop me…and I did see where their trepidation came from. My family was not hurting for money by any means, but even the Cullens' public wealth was considerable.

If I didn't know what I knew about the Cullens, maybe I would have felt the same. However, since I did know that the Cullens were immortal vampires with wealth going back decades and decades, not to mention that this entire trip was entirely for my benefit in the search of information that just _might_ mean I could make an easier choice…it really put it in a different perspective.

We were officially going there under the guise of Carlisle and Esme renewing their vows now that all the Cullen children were officially 'out of the house'. I had never packed for a trip this extensive, but my mom had for her honeymoon with Dad.

"Besides what you're going to wear to the ceremony, everything else needs to be condensed," she told me. "Your reception shoes, hiking boots, and two pairs of sandals will have to get you through the three weeks."

There were phone calls to Esme, to ensure the 'resort' we would be staying at had laundering services. That factor determined how much underclothes and socks my mom thought I needed to take. Also the number of pairs of shorts, shirts, and a couple of sundresses. Little did my parents know that we would be on Isle Esme, _the private island Carlisle bought Esme as an anniversary gift._

I digress.

The vow renewal was a real, thing, though. Alice had coordinated all of us in black outfits almost two years ago for Emmett and Rosalie's most recent wedding. Given the tropical locale of Carlisle and Esme's vow renewal, though, Alice had chosen a pale blue and tan color scheme for all of us to follow.

Most of my packing was hiking-appropriate because that's what we anticipated doing. From Alice's visions of possible answers we might gain from speaking to the locals who staffed Esme island, we knew that some remote vampires might be in the area. Just deep in the rainforest, away from the living, of course.

The other half of my packing was done by Carlisle. I don't know what strings he pulled to get human blood flown to the island. After that afternoon trip to J. Jenks' office, I had realized the Cullens had more…influence within the human world than I initially would have guessed.

I wanted answers, but I didn't care about the specifics of that particular scenario.

There was also the teasing, courtesy of Gunner. _That_ came about because I happened to be talking to my dear brother on speaker phone while driving, not that the fact he was on speaker phone would have made a difference. We were discussing college classes—Gunner was set to start at U of W in Seattle come the fall—when that asshole brother of mine suddenly changed the subject.

"Jasper's with you, right?" He asked, interrupting me in the middle of my explanation as to why college algebra sucked more than any math class he had ever taken at Forks High.

"Yeah, why?" Completely innocent question considering what was coming my way. Glancing over at Jasper, he raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged in response; I had no idea what Gunner was getting at until the words were out of her mouth.

"Make sure you take her to see some river dolphins, they're her favorite anim—"

Gunner didn't get to finish that word because I quickly hung up on him. I could feel Jasper's confusion, his mood bleeding into mine and making me furrow my brow even though I knew what my brother was talking about.

"Don't ask," I told Jasper, not bothering to look at him.

Of course, he didn't listen to me. Not only did Jasper ask—when we were at his family's house, in front of his brothers—but Emmett found it hilarious.

"You can't tell me," I started framing my defense amid Jasper, Emmett, and Edward's laughter, "that it couldn't possibly happen."

Emmett wiped at his eyes, though we both knew no tears would fall. He tried to form some sort of reply, but instead, his words faded out into his laughter again.

When Gunner and I were little, we loved Nickelodeon. One of our favorite shows was _The Wild Thornberrys,_ which once featured an episode set in the Amazon rainforest. The animal focused on during the show was a species of river dolphins that were said to be able to transform into humans and walk on land. There was a whole plot point about how a local girl was actually one of these magical river dolphins that could transform into a human and planned on drowning one of the characters.

After we watched it, I had nightmares for weeks, and the episode was forever burned into my brain. And now my brother was using it against me.

I suppose I didn't technically have to tell them about the episode and my long-standing irrational fear, but Edward could have gleaned it from my thoughts anyway.

_Betrayal_ was the only name I could give my feelings in the moment, even as Jasper tried his best to stifle his own laughing and pulled me into his lap. "We're sorry."

"You will be, but I don't think you get to speak for the other two hooligans." Eventually, Edward and Emmett were able to quiet themselves, except for when they caught each other's eye. Then they would chuckle again, trying to contain it so they could make fun of me instead.

"Maisie. You're basing this off a cartoon you watched when you were younger, yes?" Oh, Edward, always the logical one.

"I mean,_ The Wild Thornberrys_ incorporated a lot of factual stuff into the show."

"Like a girl who can talk to animals because a shaman gave her magical powers, right?" Emmett interjected.

"Says a _vampire_ with _super strength_ even for his _vampire_ kind! Not to mention…there's a local pack of werewolves in town? But I'm the unreasonable one."

Jasper wasn't great at hiding his laughing himself. I could feel the way his restrained mirth shook his chest behind me. I considered elbowing him, but as always, he caught onto my irritation with him. Cool fingers caressed my cheek.

"Sorry," he murmured, though I doubted he was.

I reached into Jasper's pocket, pulling out his phone. Mine was across the room in my bag. I pulled up a picture of the Amazon River dolphins, zooming in before showing the screen to Emmett and Edward.

"Tell me this dolphin doesn't look shifty."

There was no swaying any of the three of them. As always, I was the silly, superstitious human believing in fantastical things that definitely could never exist…unlike vampires and shapeshifters, both known beings in the world.

Then there was the travelling to Seattle for the flight part. I was the only one affected by the fact that the flight left at 3:30 in the morning, of course. A foggy recollection of Alice pulling me from bed—I had stayed overnight at the Cullen house—and instructing me to get dressed. Jasper's hand gripping mine tight, leading my stumbling feet down the stairs and out to Rosalie's waiting car. I knew we travelled to the airport with her, Emmett, and Alice. How long that took with Rosalie's penchant for speeding I couldn't say, as I slept the entire way with my head cushioned by Jasper's shoulder.

All the noise in the airport ended up being a largely muffled, distorted roar as we checked in. My limbs felt heavy as I followed Alice's lead in front of me, and as soon as we sat down, my eyes started to drift shut again.

"I didn't realize Maisie had narcolepsy," I vaguely remembered Emmett commenting. Pretty sure I flipped him off for that before Esme whisper-chided him.

"These are regular human sleeping hours."

By the time we were boarded on the plane, I was awake enough to realize we were sitting in a row with Alice. Emmett, Edward, and Jasmine were a row ahead of us, with Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie behind us. It was not lost on me that Jasper had taken the window seat. Closest to the wall and in a row sandwiched between his family, hopefully that was enough to stave off the scent of the other humans on board.

Fuzzy, half-formed thoughts still dominated my head. I was trying to wake up entirely, but I figured it would help Jasper if I laid my head back on his shoulder. He had used my scent before to drown out that of other humans and keep his thirst in check. My guess had been right; Jasper inconspicuously dipped his head close to mine. His breath tickled through my hair.

"Thank you," I murmured to him. Taking a plane was for my benefit, and I knew it was a veritable hell for Jasper. I also knew he wouldn't be talking much, if at all, during the flight as an added precaution, so he wouldn't chance breathing in or tasting the air around him. So, I wasn't offended when his only answer came in threading his fingers through mine and giving my hand a squeeze.

I dozed in and out throughout the flight, despite my efforts to keep myself awake by looking at fashion magazines with Alice or watching a movie with Jasper. Having my sleep interrupted felt like I hadn't slept in days. No matter what I did, the heaviness of it pulled me under again and again.

"Has she been this exhausted regularly?" Carlisle's worried voice, I was pretty sure. I had become skilled at deciphering the Cullens' quick speech they sometimes used to talk when they didn't want to be overheard. When I wasn't paying attention, it was harder.

"It's become more frequent," Edward said, hedging out Jasper's reluctant reply.

"Yes." Was that hesitancy his own dislike of speaking around so many humans? Or was Jasper trying to downplay the progression of my symptoms for me, since I was so loath to admit them myself?

Head heavy as concrete, I forced myself to sit upright. I tried to be inconspicuous about the way I rubbed at my eyes before clenching my hands and stretching my legs a little. Anything to get my body awake even if my mind wasn't as cooperative.

"I'm fine." My words slurred out despite myself.

When I moved, I pulled away entirely from Jasper. He reached out to me now, laying his hand on my arm. "Maisie."

The concern was obvious in his voice even as he rushed over the syllables in my name. Usually, the lilting of Jasper's accent was soothing for me. But right now, it only served to irritate me as I insisted, "I'm _fine._"

The _tut_ I heard behind me from Carlisle was decidedly uncomforting. It was obvious my lies held no weight, but I still refused to sleep for the rest of the flight. My second go around with staying awake was more successful, even if only slightly so. I lost count of how many times my head began to slump as sleep almost took me again before I jerked myself back awake.

* * *

You'd have thought that spending the majority of my life in Forks, Washington, where it rained constantly nine months out of the year, would have prepared me for humidity. It felt like I was swimming through the air. I was jealous, instantly, of everyone else I was with. With their vampire skin, they were all cool.

I was not so lucky.

As soon as we stepped off the plane, I was damp with sweat, despite it being nighttime.

Esme and Carlisle departed right from the airport, with no luggage in hand. Whenever Carlisle had sent over the blood for me, he had shipped their luggage, too. The two of them headed to the island alone, leaving the rest of us waiting at the conveyor belt for our stuff.

"I should've gone to the island with Esme and Carlisle," Rosalie muttered after thirty minutes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Babe, we _all_ know what Isle Esme's being used for right now. I mean, if you wanna bear witness to that…" She didn't let Emmett finish, smacking him on the shoulder even as he grinned his dimpled smile, clearly pleased with himself. I watched their spat unfold, Emmett ducking low to pick Rosalie up amid her protestations.

Coiling my hair in my hand to get it off my sweaty neck, I leaned into Jasper. Not because Emmett and Rosalie's playful flirtations were inspiring, but more so I could take advantage of his much cooler body temperature. He obliged me, dipping his head to press his lips the uncovered skin of my neck.

"Me and Maisie need to find coconuts, anyway."

Edward and Rosalie's eye rolls were so perfectly synchronized that they could have been the pair of siblings to pass themselves off as twins. "Not this again."

During the flight, I had been so focused on simply staying awake that I didn't realize I skipped eating. Now, with Emmett bringing up food—even if it was just coconuts—my stomach started to growl and make my hunger known.

Our luggage was still nowhere in sight. Rio de Janeiro made for a good summer vacation spot, if the considerable number of fellow tourists around us was any indication. I stretched onto my tiptoes, trying to see over the people around us to spot any kind of airport restaurant.

"We forgot to feed the human!" Emmett whispered dramatically. "We're terrible babysitters, but especially you, Jazz. You live with her! Shouldn't you have her on some kind of schedule?"

Jasper sighed behind me. In our current position, with his siblings huddled all around, he was feeling more comfortable. His speech came easily, the honied nature of his voice sliding over his words. "Have you ever known Maisie as a person to be scheduled?"

Even so, I didn't want to push him too much in this crowded human metropolis. When I reached for a hand, it was Alice's I took instead. "Come to McDonald's with me?"

Alice loved restaurants. The smile on her face was instantaneous and undoubtedly bright enough to light up the nighttime dark outside.

"Will you get one of those ice cream and coffee concoctions?"

"Frappes don't have ice cream in them, they're just frozen." Her pursed lips let me know exactly how disappointing that revelation was for her. "But I need the caffeine, so, yeah, I'll get one and you can smell it."

Smell it she did, holding it so close to her tiny, upturned nose that she got whipped cream on the tip. I reached over to her, wiping it off with my thumb. As someone with no human memories, a lot of aspects of human life was entirely fascinating for Alice. She loved anything sweet. For whatever reason, it just put her in a good mood, even if she wasn't the one eating it.

"Are you going to live now?" Emmett asked upon our return. His arms were weighed down with both his and Rosalie's luggage, because of course she wouldn't be carrying her own. Not like I had room to talk, since I knew Jasper would carry mine without me having to ask.

"Through the power of chicken nuggets and this frappe, I just might make it."

For my benefit alone, since I was the only one who slept, we were staying on the mainland for the night. Well, I guess that was for Carlisle and Esme's benefit, too, considering Emmett's innuendos. My chicken nuggets successfully got me from the airport to the taxis to the hotel.

Checking into the hotel meant seeing Rosalie in action. For the first time, I noticed she was wearing a blouse, tailored pants, and heels. The rest of us were dresses like you normally would for a flight—leggings, jeans, sweatshirts and hoodies. But Rosalie looked immaculate and determined as she led the way into the Emiliano Rio. I didn't think about it until we walked in the door, but a group of teenagers checking into a luxury hotel _would_ be suspicious.

Not with Rosalie as our leader, I soon realized. She leaned over the counter, speaking to the clerk in a velvety voice. When she let loose a shy smile—something that was so rare but radiant from her—I knew the clerk was done for. The credit card she pressed into his hand was glossy and black.

"Is it always like this?" I asked Jasper.

"Before Alice and I came along, Rosalie handled all the family's…persuasive business."

By that time, Rosalie was back with us, handing out room key cards to each of us. "You're all welcome. Ali, you said it will be cloudy until noon? Let's leave at nine-thirty tomorrow, then, so we can be on Isle Esme before the cloud cover breaks."

* * *

Isle Esme was everything you would expect from a private island. Sprawling bungalow, sparkling water, lush plant life. It was a literal paradise just off the South American coast. I would have been happy to spend our entire time there, but instead, there were already plans being made for night fall. Well, Jasper was making plans.

I was outside, sitting in the sun-warmed sand, catching coconuts that Emmett tossed to me from his perch in the tree. Unlike Jasper, who was holed up inside to avoid the sun in true vampire fashion, Emmett was unabashed in the sunlight as it broke and refracted off his skin.

"I don't even know how to cut a coconut open."

"Maise, do you really think that's going to be a roadblock here?" To punctuate his point, Emmett cracked the coconut he held in his hands as easily as if the husk were made of paper. Coconut water immediately oozed out, splattering all over Emmett's legs as his eyes widened in surprise. "What the hell!"

"What did you think was inside?" I asked, unable to keep myself from laughing.

"I don't know! I thought we would have to put it in that thing, the blender."

"Juicer. Not this fruit. Try not to spill anymore of our specimens."

Emmett dropped down from the trees only when he had thoroughly cleared them of their bounty. In all, we had fifteen coconuts spread out between us as we sat in the sand. A creaking sound eeked out of the next coconut as Emmett carefully pried it apart.

"Oh, good, we're just in time for the idiot show." Isle Esme had to be a truly private island for Rosalie, Alice, and Jasmine to come sauntering across the beach with seawater dripping off them. I knew how important staying hidden and blending in with humans was to the Cullen family, so for everyone to be so free in the sunlight here, they must have been sure we would not be interrupted.

"Babe, be nice. It's for _science._"

"Even Edward and Jazz are watching." Rosalie tipped her head toward the window, where both of them had stopped looking over their notes to gaze outside instead. Only Carlisle and Esme were disinterested in our antics. Closer to the shore, Esme lay sunbathing while Carlisle read softly aloud to her from his book.

Emmett passed me one half of the coconut, empty of its milk. I pulled a piece of the white meat out of it. The cool sweetness spread over my tongue and filled my mouth. "For science."

"For science!" Throwing his head back, Emmett took the coconut water like a shot of liquor. He gulped it down before wiping his mouth dry on the back of his hand and meeting my gaze. "Anything?"

"Nope, still black."

"Son of a—" Another coconut was down in a matter of seconds. And another, and another, as we repeated the routine over and over.

One coconut's worth of coconut water is already a full serving for a human, I was pretty sure. By the fifth, Emmett's mouth had set into a grimace. On the tenth, he gagged before forcing himself to swallow.

"Are you gonna throw up?" I asked. "_Can_ you throw up?"

I heard Edward and Jasper laughing through the window. "Please, Em, could you?"

"Carlisle! Can I throw up?"

"You still have a gag reflex, son." Carlisle called back casually. Something told me that this was not the first time Emmett had pulled some kind of 'science experiment' on his family.

"I think I might. Is that terrible, Maise?"

"Throwing up? Uh, yeah. Don't you have venom in your stomach fluids? Pretty sure that would suck for you."

Emmett reached his arms out like a little kid, waiting for Rosalie to come comfort him. She was rolling her eyes and laughing as she started combing her fingers through Emmett's curls. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against her stomach where he sat and closing his still-black eyes.

"Dammit. I don't want to throw up. How do you not throw up?"

"Willpower. Just think really hard about not throwing up." That was the only advice I could think to give him.

"And if that doesn't work?"

"I guess just hope Rosalie's bikini didn't cost too much or she moves out of the way fast enough."

He groaned pitifully, and I wondered if consuming all that coconut milk had actually made him sick to his stomach. There was a lot going on here. More questions, still no answers.

Always more questions.

I tried not to think too hard about that.

* * *

**A/N: **A huge thank you to everyone for reading and supporting. I hope everyone has a great week! I love you all!


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

Enhanced night vision—one of the few perks of my venom-infused blood—really came in handy for after-dark hiking through the rainforest. Had I not been with Jasper and his family (save for Esme and Carlisle, who had stayed on the island), I would have been _terrified._

Seeing the rainforest on the nature documentaries Ava loved and actually being in the rainforest were two entirely different things. There was almost an electricity to the shadowed trees and greenery, a hum that let you know that whether you could see other life or not, you were definitely not alone. What you couldn't see was surely watching you.

Not to mention that even _with_ decent eyesight, I was tripping over wayward vines and roots and whole plants. Everything that brushed up against me made my heart race just a little. More than once, I had to reach out to steady myself against Jasper.

"I'm gonna go wrestle a python or something," Emmett grumbled from somewhere behind me.

"What if eleven coconuts was the key?" I teased. "We just didn't find out, because you backed out."

There was a twin sigh let loose by both Jasper and Rosalie. For two people who were in no way biologically related and separated by decades of time, they acted nearly identical sometimes. "Maisie Lynn."

"Don't _Maisie Lynn_ me," I retorted. But my rebuttal to Jasper's scolding carried little weight when I tripped for what had to be the millionth time, only keeping myself upright by clutching the fabric of his shirt. "It's a valid question."

"Wait, your middle name isn't Daisy? I've been lied to."

"_Maisie Daisy_ is a dumb nickname her dad gave her," Rosalie explained. She wasn't too pleased about this hiking business, but I knew her slight toward me wasn't intentional, no matter the wording. Her dark moods were notorious for manifesting verbally. "I'm going with you on your hunt."

Emmett waggled his eyebrows, a mischievous grin spreading across his lips.

Just like that, our hiking party was down two members. Rosalie and Emmett blurred through the trees, leaving shaking foliage in their wake.

"Why are we hiking at night anyway?" Jasmine's voice carried through the dark. I liked Jasmine a lot, but she had been withdrawn lately. Per her request, Edward had accompanied her to 'see' her family in California.

I felt a cool, little hand at my elbow. Alice was using me as a guide; I could see even in the dark how her eyes had gone unfocused. I thought briefly of elephants, and how they would walk in lines holding each other's tails, only we were linked—Jasper, me, Alice—by arms.

"Our scent should attract others," Jasper explained. "And if unknown vampire scents aren't enough to pique curiosity, Maisie's unique scent should be."

As we cleared more feet, Alice's hand didn't leave my arm. "We'll have some takers by tomorrow night. If we return at—"

A gasp stole the rest of her words. Her hand on my arm tightened suddenly, making me cry out despite myself. "Alice!"

Her face was contorted as if in pain, her other hand gripping her head. In an instant, I felt Jasper's fingers along my skin, prying my arm lose from Alice's death grip and letting her take his hand instead. "What's going on?"

He nearly yelled the question at Edward. Rubbing my arm, I felt a jolt of panic that was not my own, doubling the worry I already felt with Jasper's. Edward's face was crumpling in on itself just as much as Alice's.

"I don't understand." He was speaking in a rush, his words running together as he tried to give words to what was happening inside Alice's head. "Her visions have never been like this. Everything went black, then gray, now just a blur of out-of-focus images."

As soon as it started, it ended. Alice gasped as if she were surfacing from under water. A visible tremor ran through her, shaking her little body. She slumped forward, Jasper and Edward both reaching out to catch her, totally deflated by what she had witnessed. "I couldn't _see!_"

Her little shoulders were shaking as if she were cold, but I knew it was probably something akin to adrenaline in the aftershock of it. Even with Jasper gently shushing, and I'm sure he was trying to soothe her mood empathetically, Alice continued to shiver as she explained.

"I had a vision of a man, a vampire, who lives in the jungle somewhere. He picks up our scent, just like we want, and when we meet him, he asks if we want to meet his children and then it just…everything goes black. I couldn't see, just like I can't see the Quileute pack."

If I thought Edward was speaking fast in his earlier panic, Alice definitely had her beat. The words had tumbled out of her mouth on top of one another. I chanced a glance at Jasper. He was looking over Alice's head at the jungle beyond us. I knew that look, the calculated narrowing of his eyes. He wasn't thinking of Alice, he was analyzing.

"We should take her back," I told him, tugging lightly at his shirt to draw his attention. It wasn't often that I saw any of the Cullens unsure or spooked, and I didn't like it. At all. I thought I might have to repeat myself, but Jasper responded after a beat.

"You're right." Edward and Jasmine went ahead of us, racing through the jungle to find Emmett and Rosalie to fill them in. Alice needed another moment to right herself, anyway. Eventually she accepted the calm Jasper was inundating her with, which was great for me. I was getting sleepy off it, and the darkness and jet lag weren't helping me.

Hiking back through the way we had come felt almost like defeat. At the same time, though, I sure didn't want to spend time in such a thickly condensed area of the rainforest with something that Alice couldn't see coming. Even after hiking back out, there was still a speedboat ride back to Isle Esme.

"What about everyone else?" I asked, accepting Jasper's hand as he helped me into the boat. We had all rode over together, as overcrowded as the two-seater boat was. No need to worry about a seat when you're more than strong enough to hold tight while perching on the back or side.

"They can swim." Flippant even now, Alice shrugged her delicate shoulders. "They certainly won't drown. Everyone will be home safe by dawn. _That_, at least, I can see."

Alice and I were small enough that we could share the passenger seat while Jasper drove. Just as Jasper sped along the roads on his motorcycle, he pushed the boat to its limit, meaning we landed on the shores of Isle Esme in a handful of minutes. Bounding across the sand, Alice hardly left any footprints as she went led the way to the sprawling beach house.

We walked slower than Alice, me leaning into Jasper. His cool skin felt heavenly, a complete contrast to the muggy as hell weather I still wasn't used to. I was covered in sweat, even with our hike cut short and the fact that I was wearing a cotton tank top and linen shorts.

"I feel like I need to shower five times a day here," I complained. That was my only objective as we walked through the backdoor Alice had left open. There were only two bedrooms in the house, despite how sprawling it was. Huge master bedroom, palatial living room that bled into a porch that could be opened to the beach with floor to ceiling glass doors. Absolutely massive kitchen, which I was finally giving use to. A smaller bedroom was on the opposite end of the house, with a bathroom attached.

That was the one I had been using. It was done up in shades of blue, the understatedly expensive bedding and wooden furniture letting me know Esme had decorated the space. The whole house echoed her. I could hear Alice rambling on to Carlisle, who I was sure was listening with rapt attention to his daughter's tale. In the hallway, I parted ways from Jasper; I was serious about the shower, and I knew he would want to help Alice explain her weird vision. He kissed me softly before leaving me to the back bedroom.

South America gave me an appreciation of cold-water showers I had never had before. I was thankful that I was also staying in a place where I could sleep with the windows wide open to let in the slightly cooler night air, without fear of getting murdered. I rinsed the sweat off me before slipping back into my clothes to join the others in the living room. Maybe the others had made it back, unless Emmett was still hunting, though I couldn't imagine it would take him long with such a densely populated rainforest as his hunting ground.

Jasper's guard must have been down, as well. Walking back down the hallway, I saw he had left the backdoor hanging open after we came in, not bothering to close it behind us. I pulled it shut when I passed it, making my way into the huge, open living space and commandeering a space in Jasper's armchair beside him.

"Are we going to admit there are shapeshifters here now?" Never mind the Quileute werewolves; we had all seen Catalina just months ago. We all knew that other forms of shapeshifters exist in this world.

Carlisle chuckled, shaking his head. "Perhaps. Though, Alice's vision she described doesn't match your river dolphin aversion."

I rolled my eyes. Of course, even Carlisle and Esme knew about my so-called irrational fear. There was a drawing on the table, which Esme pushed toward me. Depicted was a long-haired man, with a heavy, square jaw and wide mouth. This must have been the man from Alice's vision, a smile playing at his lips and intrigue lighting up his eyes. She had drawn the whole thing in black pen, but if I had to guess, I would say his eyes were red in her vision.

"This is the mystery man?" I asked, peeking up at Alice. She nodded.

"No idea what his 'children' look like, or how many there are. But we'll see soon." She said it in her usual bright, sunshiny voice, the energy in her words not quite masking the ominous connotation.

But that was all the explanation I got for the night. I was tired and needed to drink my 'medicine'. Though we were technically on a research trip here, we had plans to go into the forest on Isle Esme to the waterfall and lake deep inside in the morning. Jasper accompanied me back to the blue room, carrying the cup of blood for me.

"You need to drink it before Jasmine is back," he gently reminded me. We had fallen into such a routine in Alaska. With me being the only human around—with too much venom incorporated into my blood now to be appetizing—Jasper breathed freely while I drank.

"This is good for you," I commented between sips. He ducked his head, bashful in my praise, but it was true. My feedings were making him better around human blood, and humans in general.

"It's old blood," he deflected. "If you could feel how my throat still burns at the smell, you wouldn't be so free with compliments."

I pursed my lips at him, not in agreement at all. Despite his progress, I still thoroughly brushed my teeth and swished mouthwash all around my mouth before I could kiss him. "I'll never stop complimenting you, so get used to it, Whitlock."

He gave me a rueful smile before easily lifting me off my feet. I giggled as he carried me to the bed, gently tossing me into the covers. Jasper joined me in the bed, laying beside me propped on his side. He ran his fingers through my hair, twisting some of the strands around his fingers.

"We might learn something useful soon," he murmured, "should Ali's visions prove fruitful."

I considered his words, running my finger along the path of scars on his arm. Here, in this warm paradise, the short-sleeved shirts Jasper had been wearing exposed a lot of them. We knew very little, really. I thought of the little, leather-bound book Gunner had brought with him to Alaska.

"What about that book, the one you've been translating with Edward?" I asked, following the curve of one of the silvery crescent moon marks around his elbow. When I raised my eyes to meet his gaze, I saw his face cloud over. Jasper didn't have to expand on that. No need for me to give words to my disappointment, either, when he could so clearly feel it.

My sigh escaped my lips unbidden. I trailed my hand upward, under the edge of his sleeve, to press my palm into his shoulder and bring him closer to me. What I had learned about kisses was that they could convey feelings you didn't want to say. The comforting stroke of Jasper's thumb along my cheekbone was an apology. My hand pressing to his neck, keeping him close to me, was reassurance.

When he tipped his forehead against mine once we parted, that was acceptance.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Isle Esme had caretakers. Obviously, Esme and Carlisle didn't spend the majority of the year on this tropical oasis, but an island still needed maintenance.

I liked Kaure and Gustavo, even though I had scared Kaure the first time I met her. The morning we planned to go to the waterfall, I ran into Kaure in the kitchen. Jasper was in my bathroom, taking a shower, but I wasn't sure where everyone else was. Kaure had come to clean, I think, but when she saw me, she gasped.

_"Meu Deus!"_ This woman exclaimed. She was small, somewhere in size between myself and Esme. I hadn't seen her until I closed the refrigerator door. I just wanted some fruit. With that barrier no longer between us, she moved forward and cupped her hands around my cheeks. _"Você entende?"_

She spoke slowly to me, carefully enunciating her words though I guessed she knew there may be a language barrier between us, but her words were close enough to Spanish for me to glean the gist of her question. Her large, dark eyes searched my face before throwing a look over her shoulder. The panic was clear on her face, and I found myself responding truthfully in an attempt to calm her.

"Uh, _si. Lo se todo._"

I didn't know Portuguese and I had no idea if she understood English _or_ Spanish, but it was a gamble I was willing to take. Her sharp intake of breath and the paling of her face was all the affirmation I needed that she understood me. This woman opened her mouth to say something else, but Carlisle's hand on my shoulder gave her pause.

He began speaking to her in fluent Portuguese, explaining, I was sure, that I was more than safe on the island. Carlisle carefully moved me from between them, leaving me to my breakfast while they spoke. The tone he used was soft and comforting, the same way I imagined he talked to patients.

Eventually, her face softened, if only slightly. Her arguments turned to nods. Before she left, she reached across the counter to where I sat, giving my hand a squeeze.

"Kaure," she introduced herself, placing her free hand atop her heart. The next words she spoke carefully, in heavily accented English. "I help."

I squeezed her hand back and nodded to her, letting her know I understood. Poor woman. She obviously knew the Cullens were not human, even if she didn't put it into words. If our roles were reversed, I was sure I would be just as concerned as she was.

"Maisie," I told her my name with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. Kaure was gone soon after, mumbling something to Carlisle. I raised my eyebrows at him while sorting through the big bowl of exotic fruit I had taken from the fridge.

"Kaure is not used to seeing other humans on Isle Esme," Carlisle told me. He took the knife I had set out, cutting and dicing the mango I had found for me in seconds. I had a bowl of mango and a fork in front of me before his next sentence. "She's worried for her safety. Kaure and her husband, Gustavo, will be here at sunrise and sunset every day to make sure you're still alive."

"Oh, bless her. She's nice, even if she does hide behind fridge doors and scare people."

"So, we're _not_ eating Maisie? And here I thought we were in the long-con business." I took a stab at Emmett with my fork, which he easily dodged. He was ready for the waterfall already, clad only in swim trunks and a pair of sandals.

Rosalie followed close behind him, checking her perfect fishtail braid in a compact mirror. She was dressed also dressed in her swimwear, a gauzy sarong around her hips. "You couldn't even handle coconuts. Maisie's venom-blood would probably do you in."

Despite the barb, Emmett turned on his heel, kissing Rosalie square on the mouth. "Had to make sure it was still there, since you're always running it, babe."

Jasper, to probably no one's surprise, still had a t-shirt on. That boy was determined to never show more of his skin that was appropriate, per the weather, when the sun was shining. Lucky for him, the waterfall was deep enough into the forest that only stray sunbeams here and there made it through the foliage.

"Objective number one of the day is to not let Maisie drown," Alice declared once we were at our destination. I hadn't realized that the forest on the island was nearly as alive as the rainforest on the mainland. The only animal life here seemed to be birds, but brightly colored parents flew among the branches with ease. They feared neither me nor the others as they chattered among themselves and feasted on various wild-growing fruit.

"Surprise character development, actually." Ever the gentleman, Jasper waded in waist deep to the water, before turning back toward me and offering me his hand. He kept me steady as I padded across the cool, smooth rocks and mud at the bottom of the pond the waterfall fed into. "Jasper taught me to swim. But I'm not very good, so the objective still applies."

I was struck by how _normal_ everything felt. Carlisle and Esme had stayed at the house, leaving the rest of us to our devices. The boys took turns trying to outdo each other with flips as they jumped from the cliff to follow the waterfall into the water. There was splashing. Now that he knew I could swim, Emmett made it his mission to throw all of us one by one into the water. Jasper, Edward, and Alice teamed up on him, and through Alice's visions, they managed to catch him.

Even between the two of them, Edward and Jasper couldn't quite get a good hold on Emmett. They pushed him more than threw him into the water. Emmett's huge body made an equally huge wave that managed to hit all of us. Laughing and dripping water, I sat on the shore to eat the fruit and bread and cheese Esme had packed for me.

Alice lounged beside me, the intermittent sunlight breaking along her skin. Laying straight on the thick, ever-present moss covering the ground, she looked ethereal and delicate in her lilac bathing suit. Emmett and Rosalie had disappeared behind the curtain of the waterfall. Jasper, Edward, and Jasmine were racing each other to the bottom of the pond—Edward was the fastest on land, but so far, Jasmine was besting him in these water races.

I twisted around where I sat, throwing some of my food scraps into the tree line for the parrots. The foliage was so thick, I wasn't sure they would see it. Bugs could have it, if not.

We were all focused on our activities. Heightened senses or not, there isn't a lot that can remedy inattention. Which is how I, at least, was surprised by a stranger for the second time that day.

"Hello!" The voice came from above, and the response was instantaneous. I twisted back around; Alice shot up ramrod-straight beside me. Emmett and Rosalie swam to the shore, joining us in seconds. Edward came up first, shaking the water from his copper hair and tipping his head back. Jasper and Jasmine resurfaced a beat later.

"Hi!" Emmett called back, all ease. It was obvious the man was a vampire. I think he was purposely standing in a shaft of sun, the light refracting off his dark skin. Squinting past the kaleidoscope effect, I recognized the man from Alice's sketch. "Come on down!"

That was all the invitation he needed. He jumped down from the rockface above, aiming his body to land on the ground rather than in the pond. Alice had included no details of his clothing in her sketch, only rendering his face, and yet I was still surprised to see him dressed in a short sleeve t-shirt, shorts, and hiking boots. His long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and he smiled at us.

Unlike Kaure, his English was largely unaccented, carrying only the faintest trace of inflection. "My name is Joham. I came here to visit my son, but I was intrigued when I caught your scent. We don't often have new vampires in South America, believe it or not. I was under the impression I knew every resident on the continent."

Jasper had pulled himself from the water at this point. He hung back, not too far off from Alice and I, watching this Joham. He had red eyes, just like I guessed he would.

"I actually have my three daughters accompanying me. Girls?" At his beckoning, three young women stepped into sight at the top of the rockface where he stood, though they stayed in the shadows. All three had similar olive skin, thought they different in hair color and height. The tallest jumped down first—dark hair, like Joham. Her eyes were dark, but I assumed that was from not having fed recently.

Next came a slightly shorter girl, whose hair was sandy despite her tanned skin, and…

I think there was a collective gasp. _I_ gasped, for sure. This blonde-haired girl had pale green eyes, not the shades of red, black, or gold seen on a vampire. Alice was closest to me; I reached for her, gripping her hand.

The last girl joined them, her hair a shade of brown not much darker than her skin tone, with hazel eyes. Unlike Joham, whose skin was an even, darker tan shade, these girls all had rosy cheeks that I doubted were the result of makeup. Joham only smiled wider at us, before tipping his head toward me.

"Never seen others, have you?" Whatever these girls were, he was lumping me in with them. He motioned to each one in turn as he named them. "Maysun, Serena, and Jennifer are my biological daughters, born to human mothers."

Well, that certainly wasn't true in my case, but it didn't calm the tempo of my heart any. Edward had also pulled himself from the water. Motioning with his head toward the direction of the beach house, Jasper and Emmett moved fluidly to flank him. "I think, perhaps, you should meet our father. He would be rather interested in hearing the story of your children."

"There's more of your family?" Joham's gaze ran over us. In the forest alone, there was seven of us to their four…not that I really counted in the numbers in terms of threats, but they didn't need to know that.

"Only our mother and father," Rosalie threw the words away like they meant nothing, though they brought the numbers to nine. Double Joham's, plus one.

"We'll lead the way." Jasper declared, already making a path back through the heavy brush. Half a second later, I felt compelled to move, to follow anywhere Jasper might lead. I had to hide my amusement at that; he was good at what he did, that boy of mine. Joham, Maysun, Serena, and Jennifer followed Jasper's lead. Alice hung back with me, making sure we took up the rear with the rest of us between us. I caught her eye, inclining my head toward the girls. Alice caught my drift, nodding her head.

They must have been the cause of the blind spot in her vision. Alice could see neither the Quileute pack nor Catalina in her visions, we hypothesized because she had never been a shapeshifter herself. She saw vampires best—because she was currently one—and humans easily, because she had once been one.

If what Joham had told us was true, that his daughters were biologically related to him and not adopted like the Cullen children, it would make sense why Alice couldn't see them well. Sure, she was a vampire now and a human in her past life, but she certainly wasn't a vampire-human hybrid like Joham claimed his daughters to be.

* * *

**A/N: **Hello, lovelies!

I'm sorry I've been slow with getting these chapters out. I have them planned, but getting the time to sit down and write them lately has been a challenge.

I want to balance the plot progression with more sweet/fun moments, so please let me know if I forget that! Hopefully, everyone enjoys the chapter. Incorporating such minor characters from the original is a lot of fun, but it does require quite a bit of research! I based Joham's appearance heavily on Nahuel's description in the books and his actor in the movies.

For Serena, Maysun, and Jennifer, I went with the countries of their mothers/births for features, since they are never seen or described in the canon. Serena's mother was from Norway, hence the lighter hair and eyes. Maysun's mother was Algerian-darker hair/eye color. And Jennifer's mother was American, so I went with common hair and eye colors from the United States.

In my opinion, Joham is an interesting foil to Carlisle, and I can't wait to write some interactions between the two next chapter!


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

Ever the gentleman, Jasper opened the door once we reached the house, letting the rest of us file through ahead of him. He caught my wrist at the threshold, slipping his t-shirt over his head. It was hot on the island, so I had worn only my bathing suit and a pair of shorts to swim. Joham, I was sure, would soon figure out that I was not a hybrid creature like his daughters.

I had often been appreciative of the fact that Jasper could read me so well, but never so much as in that moment. Knowing what Joham had revealed about his abuse of human women, I was feeling exposed in my minimal clothing.

"Thank you," I told Jasper, gladly pulling his shirt over myself. On him, the fabric was fitted to the contours of his torso, but it hung loosely from my shoulders and effectively covered me to my mid-thigh. Perhaps Jasper's scent would cover my own enough, too, that Joham might miss the differences between myself and his daughters.

Jasper gave me a tentative smile, but his golden eyes kept flicking to the living room, where Edward and Emmett had led our guests. I could hear Carlisle greeting them warmly. If Joham had caught on to the gold eyes—a trait all the Cullens, even Jasmine now—shared, he hadn't commented.

"I see you've met my children," Carlisle was smiling placidly, but I could see his gaze alight on each of Joham's daughters. "You have your own as well, it seems. Our family leads a different life than most vampires. We feed on animal blood exlusiv—"

Maysun, the daughter who looked most like Joham, tilted her head, delicately sniffing at the air. "There's human blood in this house."

"Yes," Carlisle continued smoothly. "For Maisie. She requires human blood, but she's the only one who partakes. At home, I work as a doctor, so it's easy to come by human blood from donation supplies so she can feed ethically."

I sat on the couch beside Esme, Jasper choosing a seat on the floor. He leaned against the couch, framed by my legs. Close, but playing at casual. I ran my fingers through his still-damp hair while I watched Carlisle and Joham.

Our guest was just a tad shorter than Carlisle, but wide-shouldered and barrell-chested. "I'm a scientist myself, if only self-proclaimed."

I didn't like Joham's smile. Though it spread across his face and lifted his cheeks and lit up his eyes, it still felt fake.

"My daughters also feed on human blood, as well as myself. Tell me, why did you change all your other children and only sire the one?" I felt my eyes widen at Joham's assumption that I was Carlisle's natural-born child, as Maysun, Serena, and Jennifer were his. Judging by the surprise on Carlisle's face, he was equally thrown by the question.

"I am the creator of most of my family," he explained, "changing my wife Esme, and three of my children—Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett. We're much more of a blended family. Jasper and Alice came to us decades ago, but Maisie and Jasmine are more recent members."

"Ah, so another adoption case. How kind of you. I've never left any of my children to fend for themselves so; she's lucky to have had a vampire family adopt her. I doubt humans would know what to do with a hybrid."

Our blank looks were enough hint for Joham, I suppose. He directed his question squarely at me. "You're not a hybrid, are you?"

"No. I'm human…mostly."

"But you drink the blood of your species." I didn't like the way he worded it, even though he was right. "And there is venom in your body. I can smell it."

"Our Maisie was targeted by a vampire who was dosing humans with minute amounts of venom. It brings a more gradual change, slowly altering the human body to enhance it, but also making it dependent on a blood diet like our own. We've been helping Maisie navigate this unknown ground. I will admit, I never knew that such a thing was possible, though I have been studying both human and vampires for the past few centuries."

_Nice, subtle way of showing your age there, Carlisle,_ I thought. He glazed over the past two years of my life well, condensing and simplifying everything that had happened to me to get me to this point.

"I must also admit I have never heard of vampire-human hybrids, though your daughters are proof-positive evidence, aren't they? I didn't catch their names. Please, sit, and educate us all on your family."

Joham began to weave a tale for us, explaining the conception and birth of his daughters. I knew vampires still had some body fluids—all venom based—but I think it was a surprise even to Carlisle that male vampires would still have viable sperm.

"1810, Norway," Joham began. "Serena, as are all my daughters, is named after her mother. From conception to birth, prenatal development only took one month's time. Serena's mother didn't survive the birthing process."

Here, Serena's face clouded over. I guessed she mourned the mother she never met. That is, until I heard Edward's sharp intake of breath. All eyes shot to him where he stood, having been resistant to Carlisle's invitation for us all to take a seat.

"Edward?" Esme prompted softly, reaching across the back of the couch to rest her hand on his arm. What had he seen?

"Your memories are…remarkably clear, for infant memories over two-hundred years old." Edward eventually grumbled. I wasn't sure what he was more off-put by—Serena's apparent memories or by having to show his hand with his abilities.

"Ah, your son is gifted. Telepathy? I'm sorry, I would have warned you had I known. Serena's birth wasn't a pretty sight by any means. Hybrids are born with a full set of teeth, as razor sharp as any vampire's. Rather than the traditional route through the birth canal, a hybrid fetus will utilize their teeth. After birth, hybrid children develop and grow quickly, reaching maturity in seven years."

"You remember your entire life?" Carlisle asked, directing the question at Serena, Maysun, and Jennifer. They all nodded, but only Serena clarified.

"Unfortunately, the first memory of my life is the last moments of my mother's."

"Human physiology, namely the mother's womb and abdominal wall, are no match even for a prenatal hybrid."

I didn't know about anyone else, but I was stuck on the part where _human-vampire hybrid children eat their way out of the womb._ Whatever Joham said after that part, I wasn't really comprehending it. Nightmarish imaginings were dominating my mind instead. It wasn't until I heard Joham say my name that I stopped thinking about it for a moment.

He wasn't addressing me, I realized, but rather asking Carlisle a question.

"…Maisie? I wonder if the same would be true for her as it is for my daughters." My hand stilled in Jasper's hair, trying to piece together what Joham was asking.

"She doesn't have periods anymore," Rosalie spoke before Carlisle could, a growling edge to her voice. Joham's eyebrows came together over Rosalie's sudden hostility. Carlisle cleared his throat, smoothly latching onto Rosalie's lie. Lucky for all of us, I was not currently having a period, so the lie was sellable.

Jasper did nothing, as far as I cold tell, to quell the anger that had risen in Rosalie over Joham's intrusive question. Her lovely face was stormy as she glared at the man.

"Yes, the venom in Maisie's system has stopped her menstrual cycle." Carlisle's clipped tone left no wiggle room for other questions. "Explain more about yourselves, if you don't mind, girls. I noticed your skin doesn't react quite as aggressively to sunlight, and you have human eye colors."

Serena explained hunting. "It's much the same for us. We all learned from Father, but none of us are venomous, so there is no risk of accidentally turning prey if we can't finish. Just like vampires, we only drink the blood. Our thirst is not so great; we can go longer between feedings, especially if we supplement with human foods, but only Jennifer has developed a taste."

Jennifer smiled. "There's just a lot more variety. Father says that blood tastes different from human to human for him, but it all tastes kind of the same for me."

"But there's really no need for it," Maysun expanded. "It pales in comparison to the nutritional benefits of blood. It keeps us healthiest. We are just as immortal as any vampire, but hypothetically easier to kill. Our bodies are still dependent on a heartbeat, and our skin isn't quite so resilient. None of us have ever been sick, as our immune systems are resistant to human illnesses. We are nearly as fast as vampires, though not quite as strong. Our senses are just heightened, though."

"And you, Maisie? Your scent is identical to that of my daughters', though now that I'm listening, your heartbeat isn't quite as fast. It seems their biological makeup and your 'doses of venom' have rendered comparable results."

I didn't like any of Joham's focus directed at me. I let my hand trail down the back of Jasper's neck and along his shoulder. He reached up, taking my hand in his, before I answered. "Um, I haven't been sick since I started…drinking blood. I can see and hear better, and, um, I guess I'm stronger. I still eat and like normal food, though."

Jennifer smiled at me over this commonality we shared. I tried to smile back at her, but I was put off by Joham's careful gaze. There was no doubt he was cataloging the differences and similarities between myself and his daughters, and I didn't want to be a part of his 'scientific' knowledge. I was lying as much as Rosalie was, not wanting him to know that I had been strong enough to dent and crack vampire skin in the past.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Joham eventually commented to Carlisle. "I wonder at the process of dosing a human with venom. The dosage amount, the frequency. How many did she have?"

"Three, though I haven't a clue to the amount. We came to South America hoping to unearth some answers. A nomadic friend of ours sent us this direction, though I am starting to believe the beings said to be like Maisie are your daughters. You've provided us with much information, though they are answers to questions we didn't originally have."

Quick as lightning, a darker emotion flickered across Joham's face before he spoke again. "Likely it was Nahuel, my son, rather than my daughters. He lives in the rainforest with his aunt, Hulien. My daughters and myself are nomadic, just as your friend. Though human legends do exist about a liboshomen—a demon that impregnates human women—and I do suppose I have had something to do with the development of those tales."

His smile there was rueful. "It's happenstance that we are here at the same time. Nahuel lives farther south on the continent. We try to visit him when we can, though we were on our way to the coast to travel to Africa when we caught your scents. Maisie's in particular piqued our interest, as the possibility of other hybrids is want to do for a family like mine. Though that wasn't the case, I think it's safe to say we're still curious. Thank you for sharing her experience with us."

"Thank you for sharing what enlightenment you could for us." Carlisle gave the four of them the placid smile I had often seen him use when placating a human. "I apologize for any disappointment when you found something different than you expected. Please, don't let us keep you from your travels."

There were handshakes and parting words, all the motions of pleasantries, but I don't think I took a full breath until we watched the travelers swim away from the shore of Isle Esme. Carlisle stood on the beach, bare feet in the tide, watching their departure. Alice was immediately petulant.

"I can't see if they'll be back," she complained. "Those girls make as terrible of a blind spot as the wolves!"

"I heard their thoughts clear enough," Edward grimaced. "We'll still have warning now that I've been inside their heads. I'll not forget those inner voices."

I shuddered to think what Edward must have seen in their memories and thoughts. There was a heavy air to the room, even with Joham and his daughters gone. I don't think any of us quite knew what to do with ourselves. Rosalie moved first, taking Emmett's hand and disappearing into one of the bedrooms. Esme began to fret around, asking me if there was anything she could make me for dinner, she really didn't mind. Jasmine wasn't meeting anyone's eye, obviously uncomfortable with all the information that had been unloaded on us, but she agreed easily enough to play chess with Edward and Alice.

With Esme's spot on the couch vacated, Jasper joined me. Sitting across from me, he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I hated all of that."

"I did, too," he murmured. Though our visitors were gone, his eyes kept straying to the windows. "I didn't like his curiosity. It was dark. I wish Ali could see if he'll add venom dosing to his 'experiments'."

"I wonder why his son doesn't go with them." Eventually, there was a slight relaxing to Jasper's jaw. He must have decided the potential danger Joham carried with him had passed.

"I wouldn't. That man is crazy, crazier even than Maria had been. He takes playing with human lives to an extreme I hadn't known existed."

"That's a good point," Edward murmured across the room. At first, I thought he was talking to Jasper. But when Carlisle came back inside, he stopped to ruffle Edward's hair, and I realized they were doing it again. They had a habit of lapsing into half-verbal, half-thought-based conversations with one another. Sometimes me or Jasmine would get confused when we heard Edward's snippets, but everyone else was so used to it that they didn't react.

I ate the chicken and rice Esme made me on the couch, watching the increasingly competitive chess matches between Edward and Alice. With his mind reading and her foresight, the game primarily took place in their heads. Only a handful of moves were made, when someone was quick enough, but the real entertainment was in Edward's scowls and Alice's pouts.

Kaure kept her promise, returning to the island at sundown with her husband, Gustavo. I met them on the beach, Kaure running her hand down my cheek, obviously pleased to see I was still human. They brought me something Kaure called _platanos calados_, a desert made from plantains that sweet and spicy.

"What if they poisoned it?" Emmett asked. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah, because if I were a murderer, I would go through all the trouble of appearing concerned for someone and making trips to an island miles from the coast _and_ bring them dessert." Emmett rolled his eyes back at me, handing Rosalie a new seashell. Rosalie was cracking and breaking the seashells in her hands, turning them to a kind of gravel that was becoming the base of a tropical floral arrangement.

"Humans are weird, okay?" His defense was flimsy, but I left Emmett and Rosalie to their craft. The _platanos calados_ was great, even with Emmett's misplaced skepticism.

After our visitors, the rest of our day was spent inside, everyone kind of orbiting around one another. I think we were all deeply shaken by what we had learned, but no one really wanted to talk about it. I certainly didn't, even though something Maysun had said kept drifting back into my thoughts.

_It keeps us healthiest._

I wouldn't call myself sick. But in those days between my weekly doses of blood, I couldn't deny that there wasn't a lose of energy. I grew weaker through the days, my muscles beginning to ache and my throat to itch—which wasn't great for myself or Jasper, since my thirst irritated his own. I was resistant to increasing how often I drank, but that had more to do with my own stubbornness than anything.

I hadn't made my choice yet, between immortality or a shortened human life. In my mind, I felt like conceding to drinking more often—like Carlisle tried to convince me—that I would be leaning into the former option. Obviously, I was not the same as Maysun, Serena, and Jennifer, but the similarities between us couldn't be denied.

I was thinking a lot about Maysun's words and the little leather book Carlisle had given us. I was also throwing it out into my thoughts every so often that I was grateful Edward didn't make a habit of sharing our thoughts with others, because I knew he could hear all my inner turmoil in such close quarters.

"Did you bring that book with you?" I asked Jasper, when we were alone in the blue room that had become my bedroom. Emmett was never one to be quiet, so his victory yells from besting the others in games of poker was a great cover for this conversation.

Jasper didn't beat around my question. He retrieved it from his suitcase, holding it out to me. The leather was soft and worn under my hands, the spine barely holding the covers shut anymore for all the notes Edward and Jasper had slipped between the pages. The book scared me, this little relic of the past that knew more of my future than I did.

Sensing my hesitation, Jasper led me to the little lounge settee near the window. I hadn't bothered to turn the light on in the bedroom, but the moonlight outside was nearly bright as day with the way it reflected off the water. This light streamed into the window, bathing both Jasper and the book in almost eerie shades of silver.

"You can read the whole thing if you want to," Jasper murmured, arranging us so that I was sitting with my back against his chest, his arms around me. In my bedroom at my parents' house, we had often sat in my window seat in much the same manner. It was familiar and comforting now, as Jasper's fingers flicked through the thick, yellow-aged pages and crisp, white notes. "But these illustrations surmise the context entirely."

When his fingers stopped searching, he opened the book flat, revealing to me a diagram of a man progressively wasting away. There were dates beneath the illustrations, charting the timeline of this man's death. _1632, 1636, 1639_. That was only seven years. I had already lived through more than one in my current state.

This realization made me suck my breath in. For the first time, I did not feel warm on Isle Esme. A cold realization spread through me. I began to flick through the pages searching for any reasoning as to why the man in the illustrations lived for only that short time period.

I caught snippets of dietary notes and recommendations, noticing that this unnamed man supplemented his diet with far more human blood than I had been. Another timeline—which Jasper had translated from the original Latin, I could tell by the handwriting—listed the progression of blood intake. Only the first few months were spent with such a restricted diet as I had now.

_He became too weak to even leave his bed, until blood feedings were increased in regularity._

That was within the first half-year. I was well beyond that point, but I had modern medicine and nutrition on my side. I couldn't pretend that I wouldn't eventually be as weakened as this man from the past was, if I didn't change something now. Maysun had said it herself, and this book seemed to confirm her statement.

_It keeps us healthiest._

I felt like I was grieving, as the decision solidified in my mind. Jasper ran his hand down my cheek comfortingly, intercepting the tears that had begun at the same moment. Slowly, I shut the book between my palms, gently setting it on the floor. It wasn't the books fault that it had dealt me a heavy blow of understanding.

"I'll read it later." There was hardly any voice or weight to my words. From the living room came another one of Emmett's victory yells, the contradiction of his joy with my pity party almost making me laugh despite myself. Almost.

I turned my body in Jasper's embrace, so that I could rest my head just beneath his chest. Our legs tangled together, I wrapped my arms around his torso, listening to the gentle rhythm of his breathing. He could feel my tears soaking into his shirt, I was sure, hot as they were with my grief and anger and resignation.

There were no words of comfort that I could be offered, and Jasper understood that. He stayed quiet, running his fingers soothingly through my hair. I felt him press a kiss to the crown of my head. Closing my eyes tight, I forced the words from my mouth. "I think I should probably drink more. Every other day, or something."

Only now did Jasper speak, his hand stilling in my hair for just a moment. "It can wait until we're home, I'm sure."

Home. He didn't mean Forks, but rather Alaska, where we could increase my doses without the scrutiny of the others. Carlisle, I was sure, would be happy. He had always encouraged me to drink more than I was willing, even at the beginning, after the fight with Maria. Rosalie, on the other hand, wouldn't take it as well. She liked that I was having a hard time with this decision, because she herself hated her vampirism even if she loved her life with Emmett and her family.

I tried to convince myself that I wasn't going back on my morals. That this decision wasn't a slight against my human family, a slow turning away from them. It didn't denote a final decision one way or the other.

I didn't need platitudes from Jasper, because we both knew I wouldn't believe them, just as I wasn't believing myself now.

* * *

**A/N: **I won't be seeing you guys until the New Year! So, happy holidays and happy New Year!

I'm going to continue working on the story when I can, but I won't post until January. I have a pretty clear trajectory for the majority of this story, but there's a few plot points that I go back and forth on in my head. Such is the life of a writer, I guess.

Thank you as always for taking the time to read my work!

**_Also, I know it was hinted at/theorized in Breaking Dawn that Renesmee could, one day, produce children but we're not going to talk about that because it's been years and I still feel icky about the child imprinting that went on in the books. That's why I left it vague in the chapter._**


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

I had come to appreciate the beating sun of South America. It was a delicious contrast to the gloom of Forks and the weak, thin sunshine of Alaska. Isle Esme was only our vacation spot, but the heat reminded me somewhat of my first home in New Mexico. The sun's rays splayed across my back as I lay face down on my paddle board.

Crystal seawater was cool around my forearm when I dipped it below the surface, running my fingers along the ridged shell of a sea turtle lazily swimming beneath me. Jasmine surfaced from her dive a few feet away to scold me.

"You keep flapping your arms in the water and you'll end up looking like shark bait from below." Water seeped from her curls, creating tiny rivers down her face. She was supposed to be diving for seashells, per Esme's request. I was merely loitering, soaking up sun while also observing the marine life beneath me.

Pulling my hand from the water, I pouted at Jasmine. She was probably right, having grown up on California beaches. I sighed, slipping my cool, wet hand under my cheek. Jasmine's eyes were entirely gold now, contrasting with her dark skin in a strikingly beautiful way.

"Can I ask you something?"

Jasmine was practically a fish. Jasper had taught me to swim, it was true, but my movements were still clumsy and unrefined in the water. The way Jasmine moved through the water you would think she had always lived within the waves. I could see her legs kicking to keep her torso above water, and yet not the slightest ripple reached the surface of the shallows we were in.

"Maybe," was her noncommittal answer, her pretty face closing off slightly to me. The boys—and Carlisle—were on the mainland, on another one of Emmett's hunting excursions. He was determined that coconuts wouldn't be the only thing he feasted upon during our stay here. Usually, Jasper was the only member of the family, save for Jasmine, now, who fed so often. That was an attempt to bolster his self-control, not gluttony, as was Emmett's driving factor.

Alice, Esme, and Rosalie were still on the island, doing I didn't know what. But Jasmine had been sent by Esme for new seashells for some interior design idea of hers, and I had tagged along.

I knew Jasmine didn't like talking about her human life, but I couldn't stop myself from asking, "How do you stand it? Knowing your family is still alive, and you can't see them?"

This was a problem unique to Jasmine, with the rest of the Cullens' family members having passed decades ago. It was a problem that I could very well be facing in my future.

Her face softened some before she answered. "I have seen them. Edward took me, before we came to Forks. I…needed to know they were okay. And they are…but I still hate it."

Rosalie, I knew, did not care much for Jasmine. That had little to do with Jasmine's personality and was substantially based in Rosalie's own contempt for 'outsiders'. Never mind that Jasmine was an official member of the Cullen family now. The ire on Jasmine's face as she reflected on her own vampireness was so similar to Rosalie's in that moment that I was almost sad she didn't witness it.

Becoming a vampire had not been Jasmine's choice. I watched her take a deep breath, puffing her cheeks slightly before she dove back under the water—a leftover habit from her human life. Our conversation was over, it seemed. I sighed, watching her dive for a moment before rolling carefully onto my back, so I wouldn't disrupt my paddle board.

When I closed my eyes against the sun, the light left a red haze to my darkened vision. In my mind, I conjured the faces of my family members in turn. Mom, Dad, Gunner, Ava. I paused the longest on Ava, trying to imagine what she might look like in a few years.

How soon would the baby roundness melt from her cheeks? When would her missing teeth grow, filling in her patchwork smile? Would she leave her hair, so like mine in its shade of blonde, long and undyed like I had? Or would she experiment with length and color?

These were all possibilities I could very well miss out on, but only on one life course: the one where I died prematurely.

My choice in becoming a vampire was not the only factor that set me apart from Rosalie and Jasmine. There was also the case of my brother, and his own relationship with the paranormal. He had been introduced to the depths of the supernatural world via myself and Leah, meaning I would be able to keep in contact with him even if I was functionally dead to the rest of my family. Gunner could one day be my link to the past and to an unknown present where I no longer existed.

But that also meant that he would have to lie for me, and Leah, too, by extension. They would lead double lives until their deaths.

From there, my mind began to spiral, following the dark possible-reality that I might watch my brother age by the day while I stayed forever young.

_Then_ the thought of possible immortality made me think of Jasper, his handsome face materializing in my mind. A thousand iterations of the man I loved flashed through my thoughts—sprawled, reading on the floor, his over-long hair falling into his eyes; his hard earned smile brightening up his face; the fierce, dark determination I had seem in him when we faced first James and then Maria, a look that both bolstered me and sent shivers down my spine.

An eternity with the person you loved was what you were supposed to want, right? I wanted it; I would never deny that. But could I justify the price?

I hated these thoughts and the circles my mind ran when they started. Forcing my eyes open, I let the sun burn them away, staring just off-center from it.

I dropped my arms back into the cool water, paddling them in an approximation of a back stroke. Maybe I would end up looking like the biggest seal ever from below, enticing a shark to make my decisions for me while he thought it was the luckiest day of his life.

Jasmine took notice of my melodrama, however. One moment I was basking in the rays of the sun; the next, I had been upended, sliding from the sanctity of my paddle board into the clear, cold water below. Were it not for the ankle strap anchoring me to the board—and the surface by extension—my fledgling swimming skills might have failed me.

As it were, Jasmine's golden eyes found mine under the waves. She was obviously amused with myself as I wheeled my arms around to get my head back above water.

"Very funny," I told her, hauling myself back onto my board. My paddle had drifted a few feet away thanks to the capsize. Not wanting to tempt Jasmine to throw me back into the water, I stretched myself out until I was just barely able to grab the thing.

Back on the scorching sand, I left the board to dry in the sun. I had spent more time in my bathing suit here than I ever had in my life, I was certain. Esme met me at the front door, a towel in her hand.

"Your coverup is in your room. I imagine you might want to leave it on a bit longer. I've no idea what the boys have planned once they return."

I dried off on the porch before padding to the blue room, slipping the gauzy coverup dress over my head. In the living room, I found Alice and Rosalie debating the merits of paint samples with Esme.

"What're y'all painting?" I asked, grabbing a mango from the fruit bowl on the counter. Besides living exclusively in swimwear, my diet had basically become tropical fruit.

"The whole house," Alice informed me, her excitement bleeding into the words. "_This_ one, anyway."

"Now?"

I wasn't sure if Rosalie's eye roll was directed more at my question or my unkempt hair. Another Isle Esme habit. It was so humid, and we spent so much time in the ocean, that taming my hair felt like an impossible task.

"It's the dry season, so now would be the best time. We won't start until tonight, though." There was a certain kind of energy Esme exuded when she was in her element. That determination and excitement over creating the perfect space exemplified her passion. "Don't worry, we won't paint your room just yet."

Between the paint samples and Jasmine's seashell collecting task and the paint samples, Esme must have had a small-scale overhaul planned. I wondered, vaguely, if Esme would ever change the pale wooden flooring and white tile that dominated the flooring throughout the house.

Gustavo and Kaure would surely be disappointed by this domestic scene that we painted. Though Esme, Rosalie, and Alice's skin sparkled and refracted in the sunlight, that was the only sign that this activity was anything other than domain.

Alice stuck her tongue out at Rosalie over a disagreement about a shade of green. Esme was humming quietly to herself, using her hand to cast a shadow and observe the paint samples in a dimmer light. It was easy enough to cut my mango into cubes, and I ate it with sticky fingers while I watched Rosalie and Alice debate the subtle difference between _Green Energy_ and _Snip of Parsley._

I would have liked to argue that my morning in the sun and waves was the cause of my desire for an afternoon nap, but I knew better. Three days had passed since the last time I had a dose of blood. Low energy was par for the course by day three. To my luck, no one raised any objections when I slipped away to the blue room for a _siesta._

Before crawling into the bed, I peeled off my layers of damp swim wear. I pulled one of Jasper's cotton t-shirts from the laundry basket, slipping it over my head. His scent still clung to the fabric, a small comfort as I drifted off to sleep.

I hoped this scent would keep my earlier thoughts from repeating in my sleep, like a dreamcatcher warding against nightmares.

* * *

The sun was setting when I woke. It cast a golden, rosy glow through the gauzy curtains covering the open window. Sea breeze mixed with the scent of fresh paint. Apparently, Esme had changed her mind about her painting schedule.

Emmett's booming laugh sounded from across the house somewhere. That laugh of his was probably what woke me. _When had they come back?_

I didn't get much of a chance for speculation. Alice burst through the door as soon as I sat up, a cheek-splitting smile lighting up her face. "Our resident Sleeping Beauty is finally awake!"

Pulling the door shut behind her, Alice flitted over to the bed. She had already tugged the blanket off my legs before I realized there was something in her hands. Clothes, of course. What else would have Alice so excited? As the sleep left me, I realized Alice herself was dressed up. Gone was her painting garb from earlier; now her lithe, little body was swathed in a frothy red lace romper that left her back exposed.

Smile unwavering, she revealed what she had for me: a two-piece set comprised of a crop top with ribbon straps and a pair of flowy shorts that mimicked a skirt. Both pieces were in a bright turquoise shade, the exact color of the seas around Isle Esme at noon when the sun was overhead.

"We're going out, if you hadn't guessed," Rosalie said from the doorway. She came in so quietly that I hadn't noticed her arrival. Her curves were accentuated by her form-fitted white off the shoulder dress. "But not with _that_ hair. It looks even worse than before your nap."

Rosalie's nose scrunched in her disdain over my appearance, disappearing into the bathroom. She was back only a second later, a cup of water in her hand. I let her unwind my hair from the messy bun I had put it into earlier, her fingers quickly and gently combing through the strands. Then she dipped her hand into the cup, wetting her fingers between twirling locks of my hair. Her careful coaxing created soft, beachy waves, replacing the scraggly look the saltwater had given me earlier.

"Esme wants to finish painting," Alice explained while Rosalie worked, "without the risk of Emmett ruining it in one way or another."

"He can't help it," Rosalie defended him, though she provided no justification. My hair was done in a matter of minutes under Rosalie's expertise, leaving me free to change into the outfit Alice had provided me.

'Going out' meant going to the mainland, to Rio de Janeiro, where the nightlife was thick and thrumming. The night air was cooler than during the day, but still comfortable, especially with all the people milling around. Clubs and bars abound—I was old enough in South America, and Jasmine's fake documents aged her at eighteen—but I knew that would be uncomfortable for Jasmine and Jasper both. Alice, obviously, knew that, too. She led us deeper into town.

I walked with Jasper's arm slung over my shoulder. After a day hunting in the jungle, his eyes were extra golden. For someone who had been running through the rainforest all day, Jasper still looked impeccable. If I wasn't so busy appreciating this fact of life, I might have considered how unfair it was. Instead, when we paused our trek to wait for the crosswalk signal to light up, I stretched onto my tiptoes to plant a kiss on Jasper's jaw.

He smiled, dipping his head to kiss me just before the light changed.

I hadn't been able to differentiate the music Alice was making a beeline for from the throbbing music spilling from the clubs and bars. There was a street concert going on in the midst of all the noise. It wasn't until we were closer that I was able to pick out the acoustic sounds of a live band from the thrumming beats spilling out of the clubs. Amongst food carts and bystanders and the small stage, people were filling the space with dancing.

Alice had no problems finding a willing partner to join the throng of dancers. It had not occurred to me until that moment that Jasper could dance. Not with this Latin music, so different from the slow-dance songs at the Forks High junior and senior proms that he attended with me. The rhythm here was a different beast entirely, and yet there wasn't an ounce of the trepidation I felt evident in Jasper as he led me forward.

"You never cease to surprise me, Whitlock." His cool hand was a wonderful contrast to along the exposed skin of my waist. The first spin Jasper led me through made it obvious dancing was Alice's plan from the start. As I moved, the flowy fabric of my shorts swished and swirled around my hips.

"I'm offended you expect anything less." With Jasper as my partner, being led through the unfamiliar steps was a breeze. Somehow, his elegance and grace extended to me—I'm sure the wash of calm and relaxation I felt as we joined the dancers was also to thank. "Ali and Rose have long rotated through the three of us as dance partners, for every style under the sun."

I didn't doubt him for a moment. Alice was especially skilled with coercing her brothers into doing her bidding. She didn't want for partners, either. With exceptional ease and bright smiles, Alice easily found human men to dance with.

Our second-to-last night in the southern hemisphere was spent dancing. And some drinking on my part, with coercion from Emmett. He kept pressing coconut drinks into my hand. I got the feeling this was his forced compensation on my part for our failed coconut experiment. Whatever Emmett's motives, I wasn't complaining. The alcohol made my head buzz, but somehow Jasper kept my feet from faltering.

"My feet hurt," I complained when, late in the night, the crowd began to disperse. I say 'night', but the edges of the sky, when I could catch a glimpse between the buildings and trees, was starting to lighten. It was morning. "Why'd you give me wedge heels?"

My accusation, aimed toward Alice, carried no weight. She rolled her eyes at me, as if my question were entirely ludicrous. I giggled at the mock offense on her face. But just a second later, one of my wedge heels sunk into an unseen hole, making my steps falter. Jasper caught me by the arm, laughing at my misfortune. I wondered, vaguely, if my buzz from the drinks had transferred to him with his empathetic abilities.

He was as sure of his motions as ever, though, easily lifting me onto his back. "You got her drunk, Em."

"It's not a crime here," Emmett shrugged. His arm was wrapped tightly around Rosalie's hip. While he smiled, she was shaking her head.

"Esme and Carlisle are going to be upset with you if she starts vomiting." Her chiding did nothing to Emmett.

"I have more faith in Maise than that to hold her alcohol. Besides, that would be Jasper's mess to clean, not mine."

From my perch on Jasper's back, I tucked my head into the crook of his neck, making him laugh again. I could feel the ridges of his scars beneath my lips, they were so thick across his skin there.

"If I got taken out by alcohol poisoning, I'd be pissed. I would come back from the afterlife to haunt you, Em." As always, his big laugh filled the space around us, drawing glances from people nearby. We were all making our ways home. Maybe my perception was just off, but it felt like forever until we reached the motorboat we had taken from Isle Esme to the shore.

"Esme says you swim like a fish," Emmett appraised Jasmine while Jasper helped me into the boat. "Bet I could still beat you back."

"Edward's faster than you," Jasmine retorted, "and I always beat him. You're on."

"You'll ruin your dress!" Alice protested, entirely in vain. Nothing could have stopped Jasmine from ripping the hem of her tightly fitted dress, giving herself more freedom to move her legs. She and Emmett were beneath the water before Alice could even reach out to try to grab hold of Jasmine's arm.

I giggled, Jasper pulling my feet into his lap. He undid the straps, freeing my feet from the confines of the wedges. Rosalie daintily got into the boat while Alice pouted about Jasmine's outfit and Edward maneuvered the boat out of its dock.

"We'll beat them both," Edward declared, pushing the boat to top speed. Suddenly it was a three-way race. The speed did not do good things for me, making me feel wobbly though I was sitting still. I closed my eyes and leaned against Jasper, searching for some steadiness.

"What's the outcome, Ali?" Jasper asked, but Alice was still in a mood. Her reply came layered in sass.

"Have some patience. Edward, I _will_ throw you overboard if you tell him."

I never knew the outcome of the race. Before we even got to the shore of Isle Esme, I started to drift to sleep. It wasn't the rocking boat pulling me under, but rather Jasper's influence. The warm, heavy drowsiness settled over me like a blanket despite the unease the motion of the boat was wreaking on my stomach. I didn't fight it in the least bit, more than happy to snuggle against Jasper's side and fall into sleep.

* * *

I had slept through the day after our late night out. Apparently, that caused quite a stir with Kaure when she came around mid-morning per her routine. Emmett had great fun re-enacting Kaure's over the top concern for my safety. According to him, it took both Gustavo and a heavy dose of Jasper's mood-altering abilities to calm her.

"You'd have thought Esme had painted with your blood or something by that lady's reaction."

Esme chided Emmett for his amusement. "She was worried. I showed her you were sleeping and everything, but she was relentless that something was afoul."

Though misplaced, I thought Kaure's concern over me sweet. There was no shortage of bravery involved, I was sure, to travel to an offshore island twice a day with the intent of checking on a stranger's wellbeing. Kaure knew enough about vampires to know the dangers the some carried with them; she must know, surely, how feeble a human's defense would be against a vampire as well.

In the morning, we would be making the long flight back to the States. The truth of the matter was that I had no way to repay the kindness Kaure and Gustavo had shown me. I knew they were employed by Carlisle and Esme to care for the island, so I had no doubt that they were paid well. Eventually, I settled for a paltry offering of homemade brownies and coercing Edward into helping me pen a thank you note.

We celebrated Esme and Carlisle on our last night on the island. Unlike with Rosalie and Emmett's last wedding, the décor was devoid of any lights. The full moon reflecting off the ocean was more than enough, along with the stars, to light the night up. It was outdoors, on the stretch of uninterrupted beach behind the house.

Once again, Alice had coordinated our outfits, all of us in shades of tan to subtly offset Carlisle and Esme's white clothing. Rosalie had woven tropical flowers into our hair—or simply pinned, in the case of Alice's short, black hair. Esme's dress was simple and flowing, catching in the night breeze that rolled off the water.

To my surprise, Rosalie acted as an officiant. I watched the vows tucked under Jasper's arm. The simplicity of the whole evening reflected the way I had always viewed Carlisle and Esme's relationship—sweet, straightforward, and undoubtedly true.

Simplicity was lost on one Emmett Cullen, though. As soon as the vows were completed, he flitted away from the ceremony. Alice smiled conspiratorially, while Edward rolled his eyes. Emmett was back within a second, though he stopped short yards away and crouched down. His big body created a shield of sorts, so that I had no clues what he was up to until the first round of fireworks shot into the sky.

Pops and sizzles filled the night, the fireworks lighting us all up in washes of golden light. Emmett had picked a color scheme and stuck to it. One after another, his aerial display continued.

"Em's always been prone to dramatics," I overheard Edward telling Jasmine. "It's why he and Maisie get along so well."

I untangled myself from Jasper. "Excuse me, but I have to let Edward know I'm deeply offended." Instead, Jasper hooked his finger under the strap of my dress, gently pulling me back toward him. He trailed his finger from my shoulder to my chin, tipping my head back to kiss me.

"He says it in love, even if he cloaks it in disdain," Jasper insisted in his brother's defense. I shook my head, but Jasper only smiled…until he caught Edward's eye over the top of my head. Jasper's smile fell, his lips setting into a hard line, his eyebrows drawing together. "What is it?"

"A new visitor."

Edward had heard the thoughts of the stranger, surely, but the scent must have hit the others just moments later. Alice had the most dramatic response.

"Oh, _dammit!_" She lamented in her frustration. "I'm so tired of blind spots!"

Alice only had her vision blind spots with shapeshifters and the vampire-human hybrids we had recently learned about. My fear must have shown on my face, because Emmett chuckled, his fireworks now abandoned.

"Don't worry, Maise. It's another hybrid, not a river dolphin shapeshifter." Under different circumstances, I probably would have rolled my eyes at him. As it was, though, I was nervous. I hadn't anticipated Joham or his daughters to return.

"His son," Edward murmured, correcting my assumption. Joham's son…what had been his name? I was fairly certain it started with an N…

Nobody moved, but everyone turned to the left, toward the house. We watched as a young man and woman came around the corner. When they drew nearer, I could just barely make out the burgundy tint to the woman's eyes, marking her as a vampire. She spoke first.

"Oh, we're interrupting your celebration. I apologize." As she spoke, she ran her fingers over her long, braided hair. "We hoped to catch you before you left. Joham's letter only came in this morning."

When she said Joham's name, her lips twisted as if there were a sour taste in her mouth. Jasper took a step to the side, moving me in tandem, to make room for Carlisle to come forward. I watched him extend his hand to the new guests.

"We talked with Joham just days ago. He mentioned that he had a son. I take it you are Nahuel?"

The young man nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing along his throat as he swallowed. "Yes. I've come with my aunt, Huilen. We… wanted to clarify some things. My father has very fantastical thoughts, and I'm afraid my sister's largely hold the same beliefs."

Nahuel held his hands in front of him, picking at the nail on the forefinger of his right hand. He dropped his gaze down to the sand before picking his head up to look us over. "I'd also like to apologize for his forwardness. He has a way of forcing his ideas on others and leaving himself blind to their opinions."

Huilen laid her hand on his shoulder as he said the last part. With the bright moonlight, it was easy to see ho much Nahuel favored his father. There was the same angle to their jaws, the same shape and set to their lips. But Huilen was there, too, in his high cheekbones and the almond shape of his eyes.

This time when Carlisle spoke, his tone had softened from politeness to understanding. "Please, come inside. Excuse the smell; we used part of our vacation to do some touchups on the house. Still, I think this conversation would be best had inside."

* * *

**A/N: **We can't leave South America without some Nahuel! I intended to get this chapter out sooner than this, but I got sidetracked with the holidays. Sorry about that!

I love you guys! Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews, despite how sporadic the updates have been. Y'all are truly the best.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

Though Nahuel and Huilen gave us largely the same information that Joham had just days before, the delivery of said information could not have been more different. Nahuel's face didn't hide the disgust he felt over his father's actions, and Huilen's hard burgundy eyes betrayed every ounce of the contempt she felt.

"He thinks he can create a master race of human-vampire hybrids, but he hasn't been successful since Jennifer," Nahuel's words tumbled from his mouth like a confession. He didn't have to explain further. However many women Joham had assaulted since Jennifer's birth, neither the children or mothers had lived.

"I bore witness to my sister's pregnancy," Huilen told us. "I watched her become sick, her skin pale and her eyes dull, while her body tried desperately to contain Nahuel. The hybrid children, they grow far too quickly for a human body to accommodate. After just a handful of weeks, I also witnessed Nahuel's birth."

Here, the image of an alien bursting out of a person's body resurfaced in my mind. During Joham's speech he gave us, this had been all I could concentrate on. Now, though, the conviction in Huilen's voice kept me wrapped in her story.

"I'm sure he told you that hybrid children are not born in the traditional manner, but I doubt he told you the gruesome truth. Nahuel, of no fault of his own, killed his mother. The hybrid children are incredibly strong, even in infancy. Pire, my sister, never would have survived. Her back was broken, her stomach eviscerated, during Nahuel's birth. I had already thought Joham a demon even when he was courting my sister and hadn't touched her yet. At the time, I was convinced Nahuel would be the same. Pire begged me to care for him even as she lay dying."

Nahuel hung his head the entire time Huilen spoke.

"I remember my mother's face," he confessed. "That's a curse of my existence, that I remember it in its entirety, including my birth."

Esme was not only an adoptive mother to the Cullen children, but she had once had a natural born child of her own. A son, who died when he was just a baby. She reached out across the coffee table separating her from Nahuel, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. A smile almost broke across his lips.

"I also remember Huilen and biting her when she picked me up. I'm still sorry about that. I recognized her voice, and how she had cursed me throughout my mother's pregnancy." This was an old wound that had obviously healed between the two, replaced by affection. Huilen twirled Nahuel's long braid around her fingers as he spoke.

"Still, I wouldn't let Serena have him when Joham sent her to collect him. Nahuel is the only male hybrid that we know of. He differs from his sisters mainly in that he is venomous, whereas they are not. Joham has his hypotheses, of course, that Nahuel would be reproductively compatible with humans as well, unlike his sisters, but he'll never have the satisfaction of testing that hypothesis."

Huilen's words tugged at my mind. I had spaced out for a chunk of the conversation with Joham, distracted by the horrors of the birth of a vampire-human hybrid. A deep chill spread down my back as I realized the context behind her words. Joham's hypothesis would only exist if his daughters had been unsuccessful in carrying a child themselves.

I cut my eyes at Jasper. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod.

My mind spiraled from there. Joham had freely told us that Jennifer had been his last child carried to term. How much had his daughters, and how many human women, had suffered at his hands?

Carlisle must have had the same thoughts running through his head, because he ventured to ask his only question amid Joham and Huilen's tale. "Your sisters have been pregnant, then?"

"Human, vampire…it doesn't matter who or what that monster forces his daughters to mate with, the result has always been the same. None of the girls have carried a child for longer than a handful of months before having a horrific miscarriage. Only their enhanced endurance and healing as hybrids have saved them from suffering the same fates as their mothers."

I didn't even want to know what level of Stockholm syndrome was involved for those girls to voluntarily stay with their father and subject themselves to such horrors.

Swallowing past my disgust, I forced myself to pay attention to the rest of what Nahuel had to say. "My father's greatest pipe dream is that I would ever join him in endeavors. It's a future he'll never see. Still, he periodically sends me letters—or my sisters—in the hopes of swaying me. After he met your family, another of his letters came."

The envelope was entirely ordinary, plain white and thin, yet it felt ominous when Nahuel held it out. He extended his arm toward me. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to take it, but I forced myself to reach out and take it from his hand.

_Thanks, I hate it,_ my mind instantly reacted, making Edward almost snort in humor. Almost.

To my great relief, neither Nahuel nor Huilen had any expectations that I read the letter immediately. As soon as the letter was in my hand, they stood in tandem. In their parting, Nahuel and Huilen explained to Carlisle that they would never follow Joham's insane ideology of himself. They felt it was their duty to share the words written in the letter, specifically with me.

But I didn't read the letter while on Isle Esme. Instead, I packed it in the bottom of my suitcase, beneath all my clothes. A terrible dread filled me every time I did think about it, as we prepared to leave. The out of sight, out of mind thing I was going for didn't really work for me, because I thought of the letter constantly on the flight back to Washington. Carlisle was endlessly curious about the letter himself, I knew, but he respected the fact that it had been given to me.

I loved our time on Isle Esme, but I didn't want to read the letter on largely unfamiliar ground. Weird, I know, but the thought of reading the contents in South America frightened me immensely. It was too close to the source; South America was the place Joham had come from. Joham, and other human-preying vampires throughout the years on the continent, were the cause of the terror that Kaure felt over my place in the Cullen family.

I guess I could have asked Alice about what the letter contained. She would see Joham's words in a vision, I was sure, since I fully intended to read it. I preferred to just let it languish at the bottom of my suitcase instead.

* * *

How anyone—Carlisle or Esme or Edward or Jasper, I mean—could stand me, I wasn't sure. I didn't read the letter for another three days after we were back in Forks for the remainder of the summer. The four of them were the most invested in the letter, aside from myself. Emmett had already written it off as containing more 'psycho mumbo jumbo', and Rosalie apparently agreed, focusing again on summer studies.

Alice's calm gave me some reassurance. If anything terrible was waiting for me by reading the letter, she would have told me.

Jasmine was just generally uninterested, and I didn't blame her. She still bucked against the whole concept of vampirism, though it was her life now. Really, she and Rosalie should have been friends, but Rosalie was notoriously hard to win affection from. I should know.

The letter moved from my suitcase to hidden in one of my drawers in my bedroom. I didn't care about expediency in reading the thing. In truth, I was put off by it, and honestly, I didn't want to read it until I had a chance to catch Gunner up to speed. I was blessed in the fact that the four people who did want to read the letter were either rebuked by the propriety they had learned in the time period of their human lives or stilted by their own love for me, which gave me time to talk to my brother.

I practically had to cleave Gunner away from Leah, but I eventually caught him alone. Sitting beside Gunner in his bedroom, game controllers in our hands as we beat the crap out of each other in Mortal Kombat, I started to tell him about South America.

"So," I began with what I considered one of the heaviest topics, banking on the sound effects of the game to cover my words, "I'm drinking blood every day now."

Gunner's intake of breath was small, but I caught it. Blood perks, I had taken to calling it. The diet did improve my senses. Jasper had graciously suggested that we wait until the summer was over and we were back in Alaska to begin the daily feedings, but I wanted to start immediately. If that little leather-bound book had shown me anything, it was that I didn't have the luxury of wait time.

"But…" Gunner began, letting the rest of his sentence fall away as he countered the attack I sent his way in the game. He blocked it just in time.

"No," I answered his question though it was unfinished. "Not yet. Maybe never. I still don't know. Besides, you'll know if I choose that. I'll have to ask Sam for permission. Just because he works well with Carlisle doesn't mean he'll exactly be thrilled if I ask him to let Jasper break the treaty."

Even when I entertained the idea of becoming a vampire, I refused to imagine it any other way. It was Jasper or no one for me. Well…maybe Alice, if Jasper thought it would be too hard on him.

"It's because of that book, huh? The one that Carlisle sent with me and Leah to Alaska." I wasn't surprised that Gunner had snooped through the book. The illustrations in the back would have told him everything he needed to know while the Latin words were lost on him.

"Yeah, it is. I started when we got back."

"Jasper still brings it to you?" Enhanced senses be damned, Gunner was still exceptionally skilled at video games. I watched Sonya Blade start to sway on her feet after I was unable to stop Gunner's volley of attacks.

"Mhmm," I agreed, bearing witness to one of Sonya's countless deaths as the game encouraged Gunner to finish me off. "That's not all I learned, though."

"Oh, yeah? They got a vampire training school down there?"

I rolled my eyes, selecting Sonya for another round as Gunner ran through the character options. He was never a loyal player in any game. "Unfortunately, nothing so lucrative exists there. But they do have _lobishomen_."

Kaure had taught me that word. Or, rather, I heard her speak it first, and had asked Jasper for clarification. In her attempts to verify my safety on the island, Kaure had asked Carlisle if any _lobishomen_ were with us. But the true _lobishomen_ was Joham: An otherworldly creature who preyed on human women.

An entire legend based on one man, even one as singularly focused as Joham, was a stretch. Which meant there were likely more vampires like Joham throughout Brazil's history. Not exactly a comforting thought.

"Is that word supposed to mean something to me?"

"You're annoying. I'm getting to that. Basically, it's a male vampire that makes human-vampire hybrid babies with unlucky women."

That gave Gunner enough pause that I was able to sneak in a solid attack as he cut his eyes at me. "Are you telling me you could have a kid with Jasper?"

"I mean, _technically,_ yeah, but it would eat its way out of my stomach and kill me in the process, so I'd rather not."

"Wait, what? Like _Alien vs. Predator_?" I slammed his Shang Tsung into the ground, taking advantage of Gunner's surprise.

"That's exactly what I thought of! Yeah, so that's a thing that happens. We met one on the island, this guy named Joham. He has three daughters and a son, all hybrids."

"And no one, like, did anything about this? I mean, this guy has four kids, right? He probably wouldn't stop there."

I was ashamed to admit that Gunner's question made me stop short. No, we hadn't. We could have, probably. It wasn't like vigilante justice wasn't in my history with the Cullens, either.

"Um. No."

Gunner's disparaging look was enough to make color rise in my cheeks. "That's a first, for you, the wannabe vampire hunter."

When James targeted our family, and Maria was specifically after Gunner, it had been a no-brainer for me. There was no question that I protect them with everything I had. Kaure's kindly worried face swam up in my mind. She was powerless to truly help me, if I had been in any danger on Isle Esme, and yet she still tried. She still came to the island every day to check on me, despite her own crippling fear that rolled off her in waves even I could feel.

"You know, you're right." I didn't have the heart to win the round, my guilt hit me so hard and fast. Poor Sonya was soon laid to waste once again.

"Happens more often than you'll ever admit."

* * *

My one stroke of luck was that Joham wrote the letter in English. Maybe it was his intent for it to end up in my hands.

_Dearest Son,_

_There has been an interesting break-through in my life's plan. On an island, about fifty miles out, you might chance upon a rather unique coven of vampires. They are headed by a man named Carlisle and his wife, Esme. All members of this nine-person coven are vampire's, save for a human girl, Maisie._

_Or, mostly human. You see, I initially took her for a hybrid, like yourself and your devoted sisters. However, it was brought to my intention that she is actually dosed with vampire venom. I have it in mind to try this myself—my hunch is that the practice may yield more favorable faults where your sisters have consistently failed._

_This Carlisle wastes the opportunities set before him, instead lying to me about the reproductive capabilities of the girl. I could smell the stage of ovulation on her as easily as I can any other human woman. Though he calls himself a doctor, he's far from a man of science. The girl is lucky she's surrounded by so many vampires, or I could expediate my work considerably._

_Your ever-loving father,_

_Joham_

I thought I hated Nahuel just handing me the letter. I really hate the contents. Viscerally so.

"We _have_ to do something about this!" I whisper-shouted at Jasper that very night. Shadows engulfed us in my dark bedroom, but I could still clearly see the confliction on his face.

"I know you hate this, and I don't like it, either, but—" I cut off his sentence, for the first time ever, anger flaring up in me toward Jasper.

"He's killed women before, and this letter is proof he has no intentions to stop. And who knows what he's done to his poor daughters! How many times they've 'failed' him, that stupid bastard."

"Maisie, _please._" When I threw my hands up, he caught hold of them, cradling them to his chest. "I understand where you're coming from, but have you stopped to wonder why Nahuel and Huilen haven't done anything even though they made it clear they disapprove?"

Jasper did not try to extinguish the fire of my anger, even as it made him grimace in discomfort of its blaze. Despite this, I had to admit that I hadn't. "No, not really."

"There are rules for our kind. I know I haven't told you much about the Volturi, and I think that's been a significant mistake on my part. I lived for years in direct violation of one of those rules, and I have no doubt the protection I had first from the newborn army and now from my bond with Carlisle is why I'm still here now."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, annoyed that the conversation had taken such a drastic turn. "I thought they were just some ancients in Italy who monitored vampirekind."

"There's not a lot of laws," Jasper plowed on. "You know the biggest one, and you follow it religiously for us: Don't reveal the truth of vampires to humans. I've already broken that. Volturi members came to the southern states more than once to do sweeps of the armies. Through mine and Maria's wits alone, we survived all those sweeps, but that didn't make us any less complicit every time the wars drew human attention. The second goes along with the first, because there's almost no way to control them: do not create immortal children."

To his credit, that term, 'immortal children', did give me pause. "What?"

"Immortal children, the crime for which the Denali sisters' mother died. Children are off limits when it comes to creating new vampires. They are overpowered and not yet cognitively mature enough to truly gain a handle on their bloodlust. All immortal children and their creators were executed. Just like exposing the truth to humans, creating an immortal child carries with it an automatic death sentence if the Volturi find out."

"Okay, and? Does it even really count, you telling me about vampires? All you did was give a name to a mystery I had all my life, and none of y'all have ever created an immortal child."

"Perhaps, but the laws are subjectively black-and-white. Any gray area allowed is entirely dependent on the whims of the Volturi on any given day. You know that our family is an exception, as well as our Denali cousins. Human life is not valued by the majority of vampires, and the same is true for the Volturi. How else would the traditional feeding habits be allowed?"

"I still don't follow where you're going." Letting go of one of my hands for a moment, Jasper traced a finger along the scar on my cheek. The first one Maria had left on my body, when she had scratched my face to deliver the first dose of venom.

"Why do you think the practice that Maria used to mark you was unheard of to someone like Carlisle, who has seen centuries come and go?"

He wasn't asking me rhetorically, I realized. There was a pause for me to piece the answer together in my brain. "Well, when we had Garrett helping us with research, he said it was a fashion trend. That humans would seek it out. So…they knew about vampires."

"And the trend was snubbed out so entirely that all we have had to go on since is pieced together information from old friends such as Garrett or Peter and Charlotte, as well as one book."

The Volturi, these mythical overlords, had executed every vampire dosing humans and every human privy to that information, then. It was a sobering realization.

"Just because all the women Joham hurts die in the end and the secret is kept doesn't make any of it right."

Jasper let go of my other hand, running his own through his hair. "Maisie. Going to the Volturi, more often than not, results in death. Not just Joham's. Probably his daughters, for taking part in his experiments. Perhaps even Nahuel and Huilen's, for not coming forward. My entire family would be guilty of exposing the truth to you, as well as our Denali cousins, Peter and Charlotte, and Garrett. Mine. Yours. Gunner, Bella Swan, the Quileute wolves, their families and imprints."

With each name Jasper gave me, a deeper and deeper chill settled through my body. "We wouldn't have to tell them all that. They don't have to know."

"They _will_ know. Aro, one of the leaders, will know. Think of Edward's gift. He can hear any thoughts, relive any memories, that are currently in your head. Aro's power runs in the same vein. All he needs to do is make physical contact, and he can see _every_ memory, hear _every_ thought. No one would be safe, no matter how desperately you want them to be."

"So, we just do nothing about this? While Joham misleads and rapes and kills women? While his daughters suffer his abuse?"

He seemed to deflate under his sigh, relieved, I was sure, as the fight drained out of me. When Jasper opened his arms, I went easily into them. I buried my face against his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist as he enveloped me. His relief bled into my own feelings of exhaustion and guilt and regret; so, too, did his pride and his love.

"We're all guilty of not acting on Isle Esme," he conceded. "I don't like what Joham is doing anymore than you do. But the chances are not in our favor, _mi corazon_. It would be all to easy to see Joham as technically innocent, while we are very much not. We do not go the Volturi."

"Okay," I murmured against his t-shirt. "No Volturi."

But Jasper did not say no werewolves.

It was such a tiny thing, I know, but I felt like I had to do _something._ Before the week was over, I found myself in Emily Young's kitchen, sitting across from Sam and picking at a chocolate chip muffin Emily had given me. I was too ashamed of my inaction to even have Leah there, though she usually accompanied me for any meetings with Sam.

The hard flintiness of Sam's dark eyes was all I needed to know how truly cowardly we had all been.

"Please," I begged hollowly. "I know. I _know._" Taking a habit from Jasper, I ran a hand through my hair. "I'm sick with myself."

"But not with _them?_" Sam snapped. I recoiled at his tone, even though I understood where he was coming from.

"Except for Jasmine, all the Cullens have lived for decades under the norm that human life is not valued by the vast majority of vampires. As there are no human survivors of Joham's sick experiments…by vampire laws…he didn't do anything 'wrong'. So, yeah, I hate myself more over this because I am human, and I still didn't think to do anything."

I raised my eyes to meet Sam's, forcing myself to keep his gaze even as his anger blazed plain as day.

"I'm telling you so the pack will know if he or his daughters come to Forks. The daughters smell like me, apparently. They follow the traditional vampire diet, all of them. I know you have your own rules within the tribe and the pack for protecting this land, and Forks. Your land. Your rules. I'll leave that choice to you, if they come here."

The bite was unmasked in my words; I was unable to keep myself from rising to the challenge. I doubted I would ever be half the diplomat Carlisle was. Sam held my gaze for another beat before looking away.

"Thank you." Unlike myself, Sam did share a lot of leadership qualities with Carlisle. Though I knew he was still outraged—that was evident enough in the slight tremor of his hand, a sign of anger among the shapeshifters—he pushed it aside to offer a handshake. "We'll keep a look out. Our list keeps growing, thanks to you."

My brow crumpled in. What was he talking abou— "Oh, fuck."

Vaguely, I wondered what kind of sight I made for Sam Uley as I ran from his fiancée's house. I know I jumped from the stool so quickly it wobbled as I fled, jumping down the entirety of the porch steps to run to my car.

_Will I ever learn not to be so fucking stupid?_ I thought to myself, backing out without looking and narrowly missing Seth Clearwater and his friends as they walked toward the house. Barely raising my hand in apology, I gunned it back to Forks.

How could I have forgotten about Irina?

* * *

**A/N: **I feel obligated to state that I don't own Twilight, Mortal Kombat, or Alien vs. Predator, or any characters within those franchises.

I guess that's what happens when you make a ton of references in one chapter!

Oooooh, action.

I really ended up front loading a lot of information before making it to the more action-y pieces of the story, huh? I'm sorry about that! I hope y'all enjoy the next few chapters as we get into some meatier parts of the story.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

I sped all the way to the Cullen house, barely putting the car into park before running for the front door. However, when I tried the handle, the door resisted me.

"Dammit!" I hit the door in frustration, knowing it would do me no good. The door was only ever locked when everyone was gone. Carlisle and Esme had gone back to work as soon as we returned from South America. I had no idea where everyone else was. Hunting, maybe?

I couldn't very well show up to the hospital or Esme's office, though I knew where each of them were.

I cursed my stupidity some more, sliding down to the porch and sitting with my back to the locked door, trying to think what to do. Irina had told me basically plain as day, but I didn't even make the connection. What the hell was wrong with me? Not even my own idea about tipping the Volturi off about Joham had made me think about, let alone connect the dots, of Irina's threat.

We were doomed. All of us dead. If we didn't find and stop Irina, our fates were sealed.

My blood rushed through my veins, pounding in my temples as hot, angry tears started to roll down my cheeks. I was so occupied in my fear and frustration that I didn't recognize the sound of my phone ringing at first.

"Hello?" I answered numbly, out of habit, the screen sticking to my wet face.

"Maisie!" Gunner's voice, cutting through my headache. "Where are you? Sam called Leah and said you went running like something bad happened."

How to even put my idiocy into words? I took too long trying to construct an explanation, because Gunner yelled my name into my ear once again. "Maisie!"

"I'll meet you at Leah's," I said after another pause. Using my sleeve, I dried my face and walked back to my car. Why hadn't I thought to try to call someone? Until my phone ran from Gunner's call, I had forgot it existed. My singular thought had been to get to Jasper. Now, as I waited for the vents to blow warm air to counteract my chill despite the summer day, I dialed Kate's number. She answered on the third ring.

"Hey," I greeted her, my voice breaking over that syllable. "Where are y'all travelling around to?"

It was loud, wherever they were. I could hear voices in the background. "Hey! Garrett, it's Maisie."

"Hey, Maisie!" Garrett dragged the greeting into a singsong. A guitar riff sounded somewhere. They must have been at a concert.

"We're in London!" Kate shouted over the line. "You sound congested!"

"A summer cold," I lied. "Sorry to interrupt the fun. I'll let y'all go, I was just wondering if you'd heard from Irina lately?"

"We followed her overseas! But we're taking the slower route! She left us in England yesterday, for France!"

"Oh, fun!" I made myself say. _Lies, lies, lies._ "I just wanted to see how she was doing! See y'all soon!"

I felt bad for lying to Kate, but Irina had been telling her own lies as well, it seemed. Jasper's words ran through my mind as I pulled out of the Cullens' driveway. _I'm guilty; I've broken the rules._

If Irina made it as far as Italy, to the Volturi, I had no doubt a death sentence would be handed down on Jasper. Not to mention everyone else around us, as he had explained to me. Had that argument really happened just two nights ago?

I sped all the way back to La Push, anxious to be with Gunner and Leah if I couldn't be with Jasper. Luckily, Leah's mom was also at work, because words were tumbling out of my mouth as soon as I was through the front door.

"I messed up," I told Gunner. He stood from the couch, rushing to the door and catching me by the arms when I stumbled over the threshold. "I really, really messed up."

My tears came back, burning down my cheeks. I only realized I was shaking when I reached my hands out to grab hold of Gunner, my hands clammy against his much warmer skin. "What are you talking about?"

"I forgot about Irina! I'm such an idiot. She told me! She told me, and I ignored her because I was too stupid to put it together and understand what she meant."

Gunner winced. I thought for a moment that it was because I was yelling, but the apology died on my tongue. He let go of me, slipping his fingers underneath my hands to try to pry my grip on him loose. "Maisie, you're hurting me. Calm down."

I let go immediately, diverting my eyes from the red marks I had left on his skin. You could see a perfect outline of my hands on his forearms. "I'm sorry."

Leah swooped in, then, taking my hand and pulling me to the couch. She plopped herself down next to me, motioning with her head for Gunner to take the other side. Maybe she thought the barrier of their bodies would calm me down. "Irina's the one we've been catching scent of around the territory lines, right?"

"Yeah, one of the Denali sisters. The Cullens call them their cousins. Remember, she was there that night the pack took out Laurent at Rosalie and Emmett's wedding."

"But what does she have to do with…this?" Gunner made a wide sweep with his hands, not committing to put any labels on the mental break I was currently having.

"She _told_ me, in Alaska, that she would go to the Volturi, but I didn't understand!" I watched in frenzied annoyance as both Leah and Gunner's brows crumpled in confusion.

"Volturi?" They asked in tandem.

"Murderous vampire overlords!" I shouted, throwing my hands up. "Who will definitely kill Jasper and probably a whole bunch of other people when Irina makes it to Italy, which…could be…tonight."

My words slowed toward the end of my outburst because my breathing had quickened into desperate gasps. Leah's hot hand framed my face, forcing me to look at her.

"Deep breaths," she instructed, beginning to breathe slowly herself. It took several tries on my part, but eventually, I got my breathing under control. "How do you know Irina could be in Italy where these Volturi are tonight?"

"Because I called Kate." Leah was holding my face so securely it was hard to move my jaw to get the words out, leaving them muffled.

"Who's Kate?" There was so much that Leah didn't know, I realized. The disconnect was making all this harder than it needed to be.

"Irina's sister! You met her in Alaska. They're both in Europe right now, but Kate's in England and Irina told her she was going to France."

"Okay, did you tell Kate what you think Irina is planning?"

The rationality of the question threw me. My heart was still pounding, my face crumpling under her hands. "No, because I'm a dumbass, okay?"

To my credit, though, I pulled away from Leah to take my phone out of my pocket. My hands shook so much I nearly dropped it while I pulled up my call log.

"I'll bet you didn't call Jasper, either," Gunner remarked, pulling his phone out of his pocket, too.

"Shut up." I glared at him as he stood up, walking toward the kitchen while lifting the phone to his ear. My first call to Kate went unanswered, making me swear as I ended the call before it could go to voicemail. I was certain that Leah's being beside me was the only thing that kept me from throwing my phone across the room when my third attempt was equally futile as the first.

By then, Gunner was back in the living room. "C'mon, we'll meet Jasper back at the Cullen house."

"I _have_ to talk to Kate first," I argued, even as Gunner hooked his hand under my arm and forced me to my feet with him. He led me back to the car, holding his hand out for my keys.

"Drive mine back?" He asked Leah, tossing his to her. She caught them easily in her palm while I tried to call Kate a fourth time. Blessedly, this was the time she picked up.

"Maisie? What's going on?" It was quieter now, in the background, all the concert noises muffled. Maybe she had stepped outside. I opened my mouth to tell her, but no words came forth. "Maisie?"

"You have to stop Irina," I forced the plea out, my voice scratchy. "She'll go to the Volturi."

"What? Why would she…" But her sentence dropped off as I imagined the realization dawned on her.

"Laurent," we spoke the name at the same time. An eye for an eye; Irina made it no secret that she blamed me for the death of her lover. "We're on it, Maisie. I promise you."

The phone line went dead, and I let Gunner guide me into the passenger seat.

* * *

Jasper was waiting for us outside the Cullen house when we pulled into the drive. I threw the door open before Gunner even had the car fully in park, making a beeline for Jasper. He caught me as I wrapped my arms around him, standing on my tiptoes to bury my face in his neck.

"I messed up, I ruined everything," I murmured against his skin.

"You could never," he tenderly murmured back to me, cradling the back of my head in his hand. I felt his lips press to the top of my head. His calm began to spread through me, and I didn't fight the warmth of it. "What's going on?"

"I was kind of having a mental breakdown, but I'm okay now." I must not have been convincing; Jasper gave me an incredulous look as I untangled myself from him. "Really. Gunner and Leah helped me."

He cupped my cheek, running his thumb over my lips as he looked at my brother for confirmation. I turned my head just in time to catch Gunner shaking his. Traitor.

"It's Irina," Gunner told him plainly, continuing his betrayal.

"Irina?" Jasper echoed, pulling me closer to his side reflexively, even though the threat was a whole ocean and a country or two away.

"She's going to go to the Volturi." I couldn't force my voice above a cracked whisper. The small amount of composure I was able to gain as Gunner drove us here disintegrated. Even with the borrowed calm from Jasper, I began to shake again with the weight of this reality. Jasper, on the other hand, went completely still beside me. I don't even think he was breathing.

The calm I felt from him now was no longer comforting, taking on a chilling and foreboding tone. Peeking up at his face, I saw a hard mask of his features. Cold and stoic.

"How do we know that?"

"She kind of told me," I confessed. "Right before summer, before we left Alaska. But she didn't tell me outright. She told me, _'Italy is lovely in the summertime'_."

"Maisie." He chided with my name. Only then, when his frustration was plain in his voice and the swell of his anger pressed against my already raw emotions, did I start crying again.

"I know," I told him, turning my face again toward his chest. To my surprise, he still wrapped his arm around me, holding me to him even as he spoke to Leah over my head.

"Could I burden you with a favor, Leah? My siblings are hunting in Okanogan National Forest."

"Don't worry," Leah told us. "I'll go get them."

The ripping sound of a Quileute shapeshift filled the air, quickly replaced by the pounding of Leah's paws as she began her run.

* * *

**A/N: **I know this chapter is very short, but I'm hoping that helps convey the frenzy Maisie is in over the thought of Irina going to the Volturi.

And, yes, our girl is making some mistakes here, isn't she? I promise I still love Maisie, I hate to put her through things!

Let me know what y'all think! Much love to you all.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Gunner

**-GUNNER-**

* * *

Jasper left me on the front lines at the Cullen house.

"You can explain the situation to the others?" He asked, arm wrapped protectively around my sister despite the threat being thousands of miles away. Maisie's face was pale, except for the redness around her eyes and nose from all her crying. She wouldn't look up from the floor. Her right hand was clamped over the crook of her opposite elbow, holding tightly to the full moon tattoo we both shared.

"Uh, yeah. Well enough." Jasper was the only one to respond, nodding solemnly. With his free hand, he gently caressed Maisie's face, wiping away some of her tears.

"They'll be able to fill in any spots you or Leah miss."

When he moved toward the stairs, Maisie followed along. I watched them walk across the hallway landing, disappearing behind a door that must have been Jasper's bedroom. Music started playing—something soft, even though it was loud enough for me to hear in the living room. Meant to cover more of Maisie's crying, I was sure.

As soon as they left the room, I let myself fall heavily into the closest armchair. It was well-worn, still holding the shape of a much larger body in its cushions. _Emmett_. His name surfaced in my mind. Maisie had told me before that Emmett was the strongest vampire Carlisle had ever known, rivaling the insane strength found in newborn vampires.

Surely whatever—whoever—Maisie was afraid of couldn't compare to Emmett.

But even that thought didn't make my stomach feel less tight. Or my heart slow. The truth of it was, I had never seen Maisie like this. Not even when she fought against Maria, believing her lie that Jasper was dead. My sister had complete and infallible faith in Jasper Hale.

For Maisie to think this was something Jasper couldn't fix did not bode well for the rest of us.

My one stroked of luck during all of this was that Leah and the other Cullen siblings were _fast_. I didn't have to sit long with my thoughts before Rosalie threw the front door open, leading Alice by the arm behind her. Alice's face was blank, her mouth slightly slack and lips parted, eyes hazy and unfocused. Her movements were mechanical as she followed her sister's lead.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked, jumping to my feet. Like I could have helped. Rosalie only glared at me, letting me know how stupid she deemed my question.

"Oh, nothing. She's just using her sight." Emmett explained. He was making a beeline for his chair, but when he realized I had been sitting in it, he redirected his path and flopped himself onto the couch. Rosalie pulled Alice into the living room, guiding her to sit in another armchair across from me. She perched on the arm, watching Alice's hands closely. Fingers tapping against her thumb, it looked like she was counting.

Edward and Jasmine came in next. While Edward's eyes kept flickering upward toward the ceiling, Jasmine didn't look too good herself. Her face seemed pale, and she kept pulling at her curls where they spilled out from her low pigtails. Unlike the last time I had seen her, when her eyes were still a muddled red, they were clearly golden like all the other Cullens'.

Leah came in last, probably because she had to get dressed. She kept extra clothes in my car. One of the downfalls of being able to shapeshift into a wolf was that it destroyed your clothes, leaving you naked once you were human again.

She came right to me, fitting herself beside me so we were sharing the chair. "Did you talk to the others?"

I whispered the question to her, scared to chance breaking Alice's concentration. Leah, I knew, could talk to the rest of the pack telepathically. "Just Sam, Jared, and Paul. They were on a cautionary patrol. I told them we didn't need it and I would explain later."

_"Dammit, Jasper,"_ Rosalie hissed, seemingly unprovoked. The words sounded like the dangerous hiss of a snake before striking, a warning of the venom to come. It made me jump, but when I looked to Leah, she only dropped her gaze to her lap.

"Babe," Emmett tried to reason. "He couldn't ask Kate and Garrett to do that."

"What's going on?" I snapped, not caring now about the volume of my voice. It was hard being human when everyone else around you could hear things you couldn't.

"Kate called Maisie back," Edward explained for me, but not after sighing in such a way to convey what an inconvenience it was to him. "They weren't able to catch Irina in time. She's already made it to Voltaire, the home of the Volturi in Italy. Jasper told them to back off."

"Why the hell would he do that? Maisie said they were going to help."

"If Kate and Garrett interfere now, they would be killed for attempting to stop Irina report a crime within our realm." A crime. Because Jasper telling Maisie he was a vampire when we were in high school was deemed a crime punishable by death, at least according to whatever asshat vampire overlords were ruling.

"Tell me something good, Ali," Emmett cut in, before I could say anything else. Looking at Alice, I realized she was coming out of her vision trance. She gave a delicate shake of her shoulders as if returning to her body.

"Edward's right. Caius would have called for Kate and Garrett's executions if they had followed Irina into Voltaire. But Jasper's right, too. He knew we would stand better chances letting Irina make her report, since Kate and Garrett were too late. I already calculated. If we play it right, let Aro have his drama and ceremony that he loves, there's over a seventy-nine percent chance things will end arguably favorably."

_That's only a C,_ I thought, making Edward chuckle. "Perhaps, Gunner, but it's a majority we can invest in. Our grade might even improve once Carlisle can join the discussion."

"Best case scenario," Leah interjected, slipping her hand into mine, "what did that look like?"

"Jasper and Maisie—not to mention the rest of us—get to keep our heads. But…" Alice let the rest of her sentence hang. She didn't need to put it into words. Leah's face clouded over, and I could feel the tremor of her anger where our palms clasped together.

"They would force her?"

"Maisie's humanity is our only bargaining chip. It's also the Volturi's price…_if_ we are able to obtain that outcome. The chances would be considerably higher if we could get Sam and the rest of the pack to agree. I can't see any shapeshifters in my visions, so I operated under the assumption that Sam wouldn't allow for an exception to the treaty rules, since I couldn't definitely predict his answer."

I felt weird having this conversation without Maisie, especially since she was in the house but not in the living room with us.

"She can hear, don't worry," Edward mumbled to me. He had left Jasmine beside Emmett on the couch, pacing close to the stairs. Every now and then, he would mutter something under his breath. A one-sided conversation with Jasper, maybe?

The fact that Maisie could hear our conversation—a side effect of the venom already in her system and her blood diet—didn't really make me feel better.

"I can't even guarantee that," Leah admitted. I squeezed her hand in mine, a reminder to calm down. She took a deep, shaking breath, followed by another. And another. After five breathes, the tremor in her hand stilled.

"I know," Alice lamented. "The seventy-nine percent we stand at currently is the best I do until we have an answer from Sam."

"But what do we _do?_" I asked. I expected Edward or Alice to answer, but to my surprise, it was Jasper's voice I heard.

"You and Leah make a plea to Sam." His voice made me jump again. When I turned, he was standing at the foot of the stairs, alone. Where was Maisie? "We'll work more on that aspect once we have an answer. In the meantime, largely, we do nothing. Irina is likely telling her story as we speak. What were the chances of the Volturi dispatching anyone to Forks, Ali?"

"None. In every variable I searched, Aro sends a written summons."

Jasper nodded, one quick, curt movement. I had never seen him this way, his jaw so tense and his brow heavy over blazing golden eyes. "We wait for the summons, then. Knowing Aro, he'll request Maisie and I go alone, and we will. As Ali said, there's a high likelihood everything will end in a reasonably peaceful resolution."

"He's taking this choice from her," Rosalie practically spat the words. I realized, then, that her anger wasn't _at_ Maisie but _for_ her. She was the most standoffish of the family, her icy stare never really showing true feelings, but here she was defending my sister.

"But he's giving her all our lives in return," Jasper reminded her. "I think we all know how Maisie will make that choice."

* * *

I found out later that Jasper, at Maisie's request, had manipulated her mood enough to make her go to sleep. Her excuse for returning so late from the Cullens' was a nap, blaming it on jetlag from the South America trip.

"I knew this would happen," Mom tutted around Maisie where she sat at the kitchen table. "It always takes you weeks to get over the time changes."

Maisie took a bite of her roast, chewing it slowly. All of her movements seemed too slow. It backed up her lie, but it made me worried.

"I'm going to Leah's after dinner," I said, desperate, for Maisie's sake, to get our parents attention off her. That one sentence was all it took, both Mom and Dad turning their eyes to me.

"You gonna start paying Sue and Charlie rent?" Dad cracked, winking at me. His joke only served to annoy Mom.

"You've gone over every night this week. I'm sure she'll be visiting with you and staying with you all the time once your semester starts. I want you home tomorrow night, Gunner. You need to spend time with your sisters, too. Maisie's going back to Alaska in just two weeks."

"Yes, ma'am."

There was no point in trying to argue with Mom. Plus, it made Ava smile. I was sure she was only happy about spending time with me because it meant uninterrupted bullying on her part, but still. Me and Maisie could use some joy, even if it came at my expense. And I wasn't going to leave Leah alone to argue with Sam. Forfeiting my pride to a seven-year-old was a small price to pay to back Leah up.

* * *

My pride, I decided later, was worth it's weight in gold to be sitting in the Clearwaters' garage at Leah's side. She had insisted that Sam come to her house, not wanting to sit around in the house he shared with Emily—not only Sam's fiancée, but also Leah's cousin. I couldn't blame her for that. There were still some heart feelings all around for the misfortune of Sam imprinting on Leah's cousin when Leah and Sam used to date.

But I was the one who insisted on the garage. The kitchen made more sense as a meeting place, probably, but I hated being in the Clearwaters' kitchen. I knew it was psychological, but my wrist always ached when I was in there, the scar left by Maria's venom making itself annoyingly present. I didn't like to think of that night. Not the venom burning in my blood, or Maisie's frenzied bravery and desperation. That kitchen was where it happened, another unfortunate twist of fate, given all the time I spent at Leah's house.

Sam leaned against a workbench, a leftover relic from Leah's father's life. With his arms crossed over his chest, Sam's muscles strained against the constraint of his t-shirt. "Is Maisie okay?"

"She's fine." I didn't want to give a detailed report about what a toll the stress had taken on her. "Jasper already has a plan. Carlisle approved it."

I wasn't going to give him any more information about the plan in question, either. I knew that as soon as Leah laid it out, Sam would start arguing.

"I'm gonna lay the stakes out first, because I know how much you'll hate the rest of what I have to tell you. Think of the pack, Sam. All the boys. Our elders. Emily, Gunner, all the imprints. Bella, because Jake's an idiot. Just think about all the people you know who have heard the truth about vampires, okay?"

"Just tell me what you're getting at, Lee-Lee."

Leah huffed her breath. She hated when Sam pulled out that old nickname for her as much as I did. "Think about all of them _dead._ All of us. Wiped out."

Sam cut his eyes at me, annoyed with the interruption. "We have the numbers to take out the Cullens if they break the treaty."

"We're not talking about the Cullens as a threat here. There's other vampires in the world, Sam, and we've been really lucky with our success rate. I'll give you that. Maisie didn't run out of your house because she's afraid of the Cullens. She's afraid of that stupid vampire that was hanging around our borders during the spring."

"The one we couldn't catch? She hasn't been back in months. What's she doing, trying to build an army like the last one?"

"Listen, you'll have to go to Carlisle if you want stats on these guys, but there's leaders in the vampire world. They don't really take kindly to humans knowing about them. Maisie, Gunner, Emily, Bella, all the others… the would die at the hands of these vampire leaders. The Cullens would be sentenced to death, for revealing the secret to Maisie. Our pack doesn't follow vampire laws, but do you think that will matter to them? You're an idiot if you don't see the danger here, Sam."

As he listened, Sam's face crumpled in on itself in his annoyance and anger. "So what, this vampire is going to go to their leaders and tattle? We haven't done anything wrong. We have a right to protect our land and our people."

"Irina already has gone to Volturi. Carlisle is waiting on a summons from them."

"Yeah, _Carlisle._ Because this is_ his_ problem."

"You would sacrifice my sister in this?" I couldn't hit Sam, I knew that. I would never be strong enough to take him on, but that didn't mean anger was off the table. I knew I was yelling at him, but I didn't care, not even when Leah laid her hand on my arm in warning. "That's bullshit coming from you. Protecting humans is the whole point of your pack."

I saw him begin to shake, my words setting him toward the edge. "Did I say Maisie wouldn't have our protection?"

"If you think she would just sit by and let the Cullens die, you're an idiot." Leah's hand gripped my arm, telling me silently to stop.

"There's a way to stop it all," Leah interjected. "But you won't like it."

I was reminded, then, that Sam and Leah really did know each other well. His fingers twitched along his bicep where his arms were crossed, dark gaze examining Leah. "No."

_"Sam."_

"I'm not breaking a treaty that has stood for nearly a hundred years."

Leah threw her hands up in exasperation. "Do you think that will stop Maisie, though? With everything that is on the line? She's _fought_ vampires for this same thing. Alice has already seen it in her future visions. Either Maisie becomes a vampire, or there goes everyone's lives. You can't tell me you wouldn't make the same decision if you were in her place."

"I'm not in her place. I have the elders to answer to. I have the pack to think about, and everyone connected to them. The answer is no. There's no exceptions."

With that, the pack leader turned tail to walk back through the garage door. This conversation was over, at least according to him. I made a move to follow after Sam before Leah's shaking arm held me back.

"He's not worth it," she told me through gritted teeth. The dark red splotches staining Leah's cheeks echoed her barely contained anger.

I was pissed, too. There was nothing I would have liked better than punching Sam in his stupid face. I looked at the door he had slammed behind him again, but when I looked back at Leah, I realized there were tears running down her cheeks.

She was hurt and scared by this, too. But I was an idiot, only thinking about Maisie. Leah loved my sister, too. It was dangerous to be around a shapeshifter when they were this emotional. All the scars on Emily Young's face were proof of that. The thing was, I didn't care.

Leah was shaking even as I pulled her into my arms. She rested her head on my shoulder, curling into my chest as I held her. Hot tears soaked into my shirt, giving meaning to the anger and hurt and sadness she couldn't put into words.

"I know," I told her, running my fingers through her short, silky hair. There was nothing else I could say. No words of comfort could be used in this situation. Eventually, her shakes calmed to shivers before petering out entirely.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

If I had learned anything from Jasper, it was that feelings were a living thing.

Sadness was so heavy that I felt weighted down, like my bones and joints had been replaced with lead.

Remorse and embarrassment made me flush with a fever-heat even though I wasn't sick.

But anger, that was what kept me going.

Anger spurned me forward, kept me playing the role of a daughter and sister, covering my terrible secret from everyone but Gunner. It burned in my middle, this anger, torching away the sadness and remorse and embarrassment when it flared.

Irina had played a great hand, but she would not win. I would let this fury consume me—body, mind, and soul—before that happened.

* * *

Kate was full of apologies. So was Tanya, I guess, though her words felt hollow compared to Kate's lamentations. None of it mattered, though. What had been done had already passed, and words weren't going to fix it.

"At least all our friends can stop researching now," I muttered. Jasper could hear me fine, though he was on speaker phone and I was currently running through the woods surrounding my house. "Take up new hobbies."

"Your cavalier attitude is exhausting." He knew my inner turmoil, as did Edward. They were courteous, though, this empath of mine and his telepath brother. Edward never called me out; Jasper only did so in private.

"Good thing only one of us still needs sleep."

Running in Forks was so much easier than running in Alaska. Here, the air didn't slice through my throat and lungs like icy daggers. I was familiar with the Forks landscape, too, never having to worry if my foot would slip through snow and into some buried crevasse.

"You're giving me a run for my money there, _mi amor._"

I craved alone time, away from the pitying eyes of everyone who knew the truth. Yet, at the same time, I hated the idea of being truly alone. I was stronger now that I was drinking blood daily, but I still felt like a sitting duck becoming crowded on all sides by hunters.

At least with Maria, I had a face to my fear. The Volturi were a shapeless enigma haunting my mind by day and my dreams by night.

"I'm fine," I argued. "The… new diet helps. I'm not half so tired as I used to be."

Jasper fell silent for a beat on his end. I wondered what he was doing. Strategizing, maybe, even though we already had a plan. He couldn't help it. That's just how his brain worked.

"Maisie," his voice was cautious. He had been brooding, then, not strategizing. "It's okay not to be okay."

A sigh tumbled from my mouth, though I wasn't sure it was distinguishable from my panting breaths. I had been running for miles at that point. Ang yet, my heart still plodded along at its racing pace. My lungs did not burn as they should have, though my waning energy had begun to show in the pants of my breathing. Under me, my legs didn't waver in the slightest.

"Jasper," I reminded him, "we both know we can't afford that right now."

On the other end of the line, Jasper's sigh was much more obvious than mine had been.

Gunner's life was already in potential peril. If I fell apart, there would be questions that warranted answers. I couldn't very well reveal everything to my parents and Ava. _Hey, Mom and Dad, remember when our house was broken into? That was a vampire. I helped Jasper's family kill him. Oh, why did they do that? They're vampires, too. Don't worry, though, they're the good kind. Oh, and remember way back when we lived in New Mexico? About that…_

I would be committed instantly.

Running had served me a lot the past few days. This was the almost-alone time that I craved; a decent enough stress relief; something to tire me out enough I might sleep for a few hours at night.

It was mostly my time to cry, though. I could feel the hot tears running down my face, drying almost instantly as I continued to run.

"So you keep insisting."

"So I_ know_," I corrected. I turned, altering my path to come back the way I had come. Jasper stayed on the line with me as I ran back to my house, bless him. I thought I had been out for longer than I had. Mom and Dad were still gone with Ava, having taken her to her summer reading circle at the Forks Public Library. This was the first summer since I was sixteen that I hadn't worked at the library.

Gunner was gone, too. With Leah or his friend Derrick, probably. He hadn't been staying home much these last few days, despite his promise to Mom. I didn't blame him. Nor did I mind the quiet of the house as I made my way to my bathroom to shower.

There was hardly any change in my appearance now than before my run. My ponytail was drooping, but there was hardly a sheen of sweat to my skin. My cheeks weren't flushed at all, though my eyes were red from my crying. As I undressed, my heart calmed back into its typical pace.

How the daily blood intake had given me the stamina of an Olympic runner, I had no idea. I just added it to the list of ways I had changed though my reflection showed me the same face I had been looking at my whole life. How could there be such fundamental alterations with no trace on the surface? Another question I had no time to answer.

Maybe the searing hot shower—I had taken to turning it to the hottest temperature—would cleanse my mind while it scalded my skin.

* * *

Children were intuitive, I had learned. Though Ava had no inkling of the severity of what was going on, she had honed-in on _something_ being amiss. It amazed me that she could sense it, though my parents seemed oblivious. They were distracted, though, mainly focused on getting Gunner set up to move away for college, the way they had been hyper-focused on me the summer before.

Still, somehow Ava seemed to know that her time with me was limited in a way that had nothing to do with me going back to Alaska in two weeks. Or maybe that was my own guilt projecting a keen awareness on her, who knows. Either way, Ava was stuck to me like glue. She had even taken to sleeping in my bed with me again, like she had when James was making creepy nighttime visits to her window.

When Mom and Dad took Gunner shopping for appliances for the on-campus apartment he had secured, I took Ava school supply shopping.

"Who let you get big enough to go to first grade?" I asked her, pushing her up and down the aisles of pencils and crayons, paper and scissors, glue and supply boxes. Ava insisted on riding in the basket. "I don't remember giving you permission."

"Mama," she told me matter-of-factly. I was really the one doing the shopping here. Ava was focused on braiding her doll's hair. "Daddy said he's gonna tie a brick to my head."

I held up a pack of pink glittery pencils for her approval before tossing them in the cart. They landed a good three inches shy of Ava's foot, but she still stuck her tongue out at me. "You'll live. It's a long way from your heart. Are you sad me and Gunner will be leaving?"

"Mama said I can play in your rooms while you're both gone."

High commodity in Ava's world. She tossed her doll aside, hair half braided, to lean over the edge of the cart. "I need this. It matches my pencils."

"Since when do they make fun glue?" It was just as pink and sparkly. I wondered if it would even stick.

"Sorry everything was boring when you were in school. Maisie?" Ava leaned over the edge again, this time with her eyes trained on a strawberry printed pencil case.

"Yeah?" I was school shopping, too. Provided I was forced to become a vampire, I intended to finish a degree. What good would an eternal life be if I didn't use it?

"Are you still gonna come back from Alaska?"

Ava asked me in total innocence, but her point-blank question made me sputter in my steps. I made myself push the basket forward, moving us along the aisle. My daily runs had been hopeless in spurring my heartbeat above a slow rhythm, but now I felt it begin to pick up speed.

"Why wouldn't I? I came back for the summer. I'll be back again for Thanksgiving and Christmas."

"Mama said Dr. Cullen and Mrs. Cullen talk about moving." That was true. Carlisle and Esme were, for all intents and purposes, currently empty nesters. Not only that, but they had been in Forks for around five years. All of their children going off to college gave them a perfect cover to move from the area before questions about their perpetual youth began.

"Yeah, they want to give Canada a go," I told Ava. "But that doesn't mean I won't come back just because Carlisle and Esme are moving."

She gave me a look that said, I don't believe you. "Mama said that when girls get married, sometimes they spend more time with their husband's family."

I laughed at that. It had been true in my mother's case, for sure. "I didn't know me and Jasper were getting married. You got some kind of information I don't?"

"Mama says you should, because you live with him already."

"Mom's just full of things to say, isn't she?" I offered Ava a pack of scented erasers. She grabbed them from my hand instantly, temporarily distracted.

"Promise you'll come back?"

"Of course I will, silly."

I hoped I would be able to keep that promise to her.

* * *

Alice insisted I had a seventy percent success rate of surviving the meeting with the Volturi. She checked her visions daily, calculating the odds over and over. The only factors that she saw working against us was the moods of the Volturi leaders.

Something that shouldn't have been a concern for Jasper and I, given his ability to alter moods and emotions. Unfortunately for us, the Volturi were…overly familiar with the Cullen family and their abilities.

"I'm not valuable to them," Jasper had told me. "They already have a member that has similar abilities to my own. Alice and Edward, on the other hand… Aro has been extending invitations for positions amongst the Volturi guide for decades."

"Sorry you're a dime a dozen," I told him, running my fingers through his hair. With Ava sleeping with me every night, our alone time for these discussions had greatly reduced. While Ava slept, we were locked in my bathroom, Jasper having snuck over to deliver my cup of blood. He was seated at my vanity bench, and I was sitting in his lap, facing him, while we talked.

Ava slept easily despite all her questions during the day. I couldn't say the same for myself. I was either too mad—thinking about all the things Irina was taking from me—or waking from nightmares about the Volturi.

In my dreams, they were nothing more that solid black smudges with red, glowing eyes. When I used to dream about Maria, she would stalk me, toy with me while I tried and failed to outrun her. But in my Volturi dreams, I couldn't even walk let alone run. I was paralyzed to the spot, watching the black smudges and their red eyes creep closer and closer to me until the opened their black mouths and swallowed me whole.

I shuddered just thinking about it. Jasper frowned at the sudden turn in my mood, caressing his fingertips along my cheek in an attempt to soothe me. I caught his hand, moving it to plant a kiss on his palm before letting it fall from my grasp.

"I'm thankful to be unspectacular in Aro's eyes. It does make it impossible for me to manipulate the moods in the room, though. They'll all be familiar with it and know instantly."

"Truly unfortunate. Carlisle should have never befriended them." Jasper trailed a hand along my thigh, almost absentmindedly. We really had not had much alone time as of late, but even now, I could see the way his eyes clouded over with his thoughts.

"Carlisle has always been a scholar, first and foremost. He was on a mission to discover all that he could about the world of vampires. Perhaps he would have learned more had he spent more time in Europe, but he was rather off put by the Volturi's way of life."

Our one point of certainty was the date the summons from the Volturi would reach us. September 30th. Jasper and I would be back in Alaska by then. I wasn't sure if the lag between Irina's report on us and the summons had more to do with unconcern on the Volturi's part or if they just didn't view us as a viable threat. I was fine with either of those things.

"Aro's like Edward, right? A telepath?"

"Yes, but he needs a physical connection. Once that is established, he can view all thoughts and memories a person has ever had in their lifetime."

"_All_ of them?" Then Aro would see our experiences in South America, surely. As well as Maria, the night she marked me. Maybe my life would not be such a waste, if there was still the chance of helping Joham's poor daughters and—possibly—proving the Cullens' innocence in my knowledge of vampires.

"All," Jasper reiterated. "It will be up to Aro's interpretation of memories that will seal our fates. He's already seen a majority of mine, save for the last twenty some odd years' worth. He knows I took part in the Southern armies and the wars."

Jasper saw that as a strike against him personally, I knew. "He'll also see how you were the one to put a stop to Maria."

My reminder did little to ease the thoughts worrying their way through his head. I could tell from the tiny crease between his eyebrows. He lifted his hand from my thigh, bringing it up between us, before resting it flush against my chest just over my heart. "Perhaps it will win me a pardon."

He felt my heart under his palm for beats. Jasper's hand moved upward, skimming over my collarbone and continuing its climb up my neck. Into my hair, curving around the back of my head to draw me closer to him. When he kissed me, it was not entirely gentle. I could taste the desperation on his mouth.

I'm sure he could taste the same on mine.

* * *

I was not yet banned from La Push. That would change, of course, if the Volturi let me leave Voltaire with my life. For now, though, there was nothing stopping me from eating dinner at Leah's house. Sue, Leah's mom, had insisted on having a fish fry for Gunner before he left for college.

Fish fries were an important tradition in the Clearwater family, apparently. With Leah's dad passed away, Charlie Swan took the place as fish fry aficionado. Gunner kindly shared the menu of the evening with me beforehand, allowing me plenty of time to make pasta salad—otherwise known as something I would eat.

"I love eating noodles and desert for dinner." I shook the Tupperware around, making Gunner roll his eyes.

"You're in an annoying mood. Who invited you again?"

I shook the container again, simply because I knew it was bugging him. He took it from me then, settling it in his lap before starting to pulling out of our driveway. Unfortunately for Gunner, it was easiest to push aside everything going on when I was with him.

"Some girl named Leah. Seemed pretty jazzed about the whole thing, obviously didn't know seafood makes me gag."

We had already survived Maria together. He knew the truth of my life, all the secrets. As Leah's imprint, he was explicitly under the protection of the Quileute wolf pack. As my brother, and a keeper of the secret of vampires, he had the same protection from the Cullens.

"I don't think freshwater fish classifies as seafood."

"All fish is gross. I'm not into discrimination."

Call it intuition, but for whatever reason, my fears over Gunner had were calming. Or maybe I was just stupid and desperate. This was a subject that haunted my sleepless nights. My certainty might have nothing at all to do with a gut feeling and everything to do with my desperation as I tried to rationalize how this might not be so terrible. Wishful thinking, maybe.

"You would never make it in the wild," he continued. "What if you washed up on an island with no animals or plants?"

"I would starve and be fine with it. Drink some seawater and hallucinate myself into the other side."

Gunner fell quiet, hazel eyes focused on the road before us. "Couldn't one of the Cullens' friends do it?" He asked, voice quiet and thick. "They don't have to follow the treaty."

I wanted to take his hand, but Gunner had both gripped tightly around the wheel. His knuckles shone white, his grip was so hard.

"Alice says that'll most likely anger the Volturi," I told him. "Like an admission of guilt, basically. Cowardice. They don't take kindly to it, according to Carlisle."

A shiver ran through me, the seriousness of Carlisle's expression swimming in my mind. I didn't typically think of any of the Cullens as particularly vampire-like, but watching the still graveness settle over Carlisle's usually warm and kind features had reminded me of his nature. Of the nature of all of this.

"And besides," I admitted, selfishly, "if it has to happen, I only want Jasper to do it."

I already had some of Maria's venom running in my veins, a tether that united myself to Jasper. If I could have my choice, I would only choose Jasper to deliver the dose that would set me over the precarious edge I walked between human and vampire.

"Would he be able to?" Gunner did not bring up the fact that Jasper doing the deed would effectively break the treaty between the Cullen family and the Quileute tribe. I appreciated that.

"Yes." At least, I was fairly certain he would be able to. "My blood isn't appealing to vampires. Not even Jasmine, when she was still a newborn. I smell too much like them already."

"Sam won't make the exception."

Deep in my heart, I knew this. Gunner didn't have to tell me. In the back of my head, I knew that would be the outcome. My brother still wasn't looking at me, eyes trained on the road to La Push.

"Neither will the Volturi."


	20. Chapter Twenty: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

Rudely, no one told me that Bella Swan would be at Gunner's fish fry. I guess it should have been a given. Charlie was her father, after all, and it would only make sense that she would be spending time with him if she were visiting on her college break.

Still, I wasn't prepared to see her standing in the Clearwater kitchen next to Charlie, helping him roll fish in breading.

"Hey, Maisie." Charlie, unlike his daughter, was all easy smiles. I squeezed past them, quickly sliding the pasta salad I had made into the fridge. Bella looked up at the sound of my name, that petulant pout she was so good at forming on her full lips.

"Hi, Charlie. Hi, Bella. I didn't know you were home." My word choice got to her, lips deepening in their pout.

"I wanted to make sure Charlie hadn't regressed to eating three meals a day at the diner," she quipped. "I guess Sue's kept him from that, though."

Charlie flicked his breading covered fingers at his daughter. It occurred to me just then that Gunner would likely have Bella as a sister-in-law one day. _Oh, bless him._

I laughed, unsure how else to respond, and secretly cursed my brother for letting me walk into the kitchen blind like that. He just had to stop in the living room, pointing to cards over Seth's shoulder to help Ava win the game of Old Maid he was playing with her.

Backtracking through the house, I went right up to Leah's room. Sue had told us she was upstairs when we arrived, wrapping a last-minute present Charlie had brought for Gunner.

"Hello, I'm offended." I told her when I slipped through her bedroom door. "Nobody told me Bella-freaking-Swan would be here."

Leah didn't pause in her work, fluffing the tissue paper in the gift bag sitting on her desk. She had the decency to roll her eyes, validating my own annoyance. "I didn't know either. She just got in today, apparently."

"I didn't think she would have the balls to come back, not to La Push at least. I thought she took her and Jacob breaking up pretty hard."

The look on Leah's face told me all I needed to know. "They've been talking again. Remember, pretty much no secrets when all connected in wolf form. Coming to visit Charlie is just a convenient excuse to be here again."

_Wait, Charlie will be Gunner's father-in-law._ Charlie. The man who responded to the break in call when James was terrorizing my family, the officer who good-naturedly broke up parties in high school when we got too loud. He never gave us minor in possession charges even though he must have known we were drinking at those parties.

What a bunch of wild things I was neglecting to think of because I was so focused on the Volturi. Leah passed Charlie's gift to me to carry downstairs. She had her own gift for Gunner, I realized. "Y'all spoil this boy too much. He got graduation presents, like, a month ago."

"Yeah, but these are for his apartment."

"It better be a recipe book with illustrated instructions, because I've only ever seen Gunner make pizza rolls in the microwave."

These fish fries, I soon figured out, were a Clearwater tradition that Gunner was now a part of. From the stories Sue and Charlie were telling, it was obvious that these fish fries happened anytime there was a call for celebration.

Ava was monopolizing Seth's attention, shiny new plaything that he was for her, which took two people out of the conversation pool. My parents, ever polite, kept asking Bella questions about her life in Arizona, pulling me in alongside. I wasn't thrilled about that.

"What are you studying?" Dad asked. "Maisie Daisy here still hasn't declared a major."

"I might declare the wrong one and then change it three times before I graduate, like Mom," I countered, making my mom shake her head.

"Better sure than sorry, truly. I started on a veterinary track before I realized I couldn't handle the blood. Then I tried my hand at English, but my love of harlequin romance didn't really translate well. I fell into teaching by accident, but I've loved every second of it."

Bella, never one to enjoy any kind of spotlight, squirmed under my parents' attention. The blush crept into her pale cheeks and I wondered vaguely what it was about her blood that used to call to Edward. "I'm studying English, actually. I like it."

"I just want to play with animals all day," I threw in when the pause grew so long it was obvious Bella wasn't going to add anything else. "I just don't know how to make that into a career."

_Animals won't like me if I'm a vampire,_ was the full truth. I had seen the way that animals shied away from the Cullens, knowing instinctively that they were more dangerous to them than humans. Only Honeybun, our elderly family dog, had ever showed interest in the Cullens, but Honeybun loved everybody.

"You mean they don't shell out the big bucks for people who hang out with penguins all day? Shocking." I flicked Gunner for that one.

"There's no penguins in Alaska. Most of them live in the Arctic Circle."

"Okay, Steve Irwin."

Gunner opened his gifts—one of which was a cookbook, from Charlie—and everyone at fish while I stuck to my vow to only eat pasta salad and dessert. If my days of eating human food were numbered, then I figured pasta and cheesecake was as good a dinner as any.

Our parents exhausted their questions on Bella over dinner. Leah brought down her old toys to keep Ava entertained, and she forgot about us entirely once she had a whole doll house at her disposal. Not even Seth was allowed to play anymore, leaving him drumming his fingers on the side table. Seth was a ball of energy, even more so than most teenage boys.

"Let's go down to the beach." He only lasted five minutes without food or Ava to hold his attention. "We can play volleyball."

The suggestion made Charlie burst into laughter. "I would pay to see Bells play volleyball. I've heard some horror stories from her high school gym days."

Another blush bloomed in her cheeks as Bella rolled her eyes at her dad. "Bella can keep score. Think you can keep up with us, Gunner?"

Seth quirked his eyebrow dramatically. Any teasing at Gunner's expense was not something I was going to pass up. "If he's on my team, he just might stand a chance. Let's go."

The Clearwater house was not far from the beach, only a short hike. Seth grabbed a volleyball from a pile of mismatched sports equipment on their covered porch. "I would say we should race, but I'm not into easy pickings."

"What he means to say is that he doesn't want to get smoked and embarrassed with an audience around." Leah slapped the volleyball out of her brother's hand. It bounced dully against the grass before she caught it. Her taunt was enough to spur Seth into action. He took off in a head start before Leah could toss the ball at me and follow suit.

I had fallen in step with Gunner and Bella, keeping pace with them as we picked our way behind the Clearwaters. The sun was setting behind us, turning Gunner's hair into flames and even bringing out some red in Bella's dark hair. She was on my left, though she seemed happy enough to accompany us to the beach.

"Do you ever get tired watching those two?" I asked, Leah and Seth becoming smaller and smaller specks in the distance. Seth was almost too easy with his true nature around those who didn't know better—such as Charlie or my parents. He reminded me almost of Emmett and Alice, who were both more comfortable in their vampiric tendencies than the rest of their family.

"They're exhausting together," Gunner admitted. Beside me, Bella gave a snort of a laugh.

"So are you two. It's probably a sibling thing." Besides that quip, Bella was largely silent. By the time we reached the beach, Leah and Seth were there arguing over who would be on teams together.

"You would do your boyfriend dirty like that?" Seth was shaking his head. "At least give him a chance."

Throwing the ball into the air, I spiked it toward Seth's head. "Better not be talking smack, wolf boy."

He deflected the ball easily, smacking it away before it could hit his face. A teasing smile spread across his face. "Actually, I want Gunner on my team. You've got the power, but none of the height, vampire girl."

Bella sucked her breath in at that. I had forgotten her…apprehension, curiosity, jealousy…whatever it was that she felt toward the Cullens, the only vampires she had encountered. I looked over my shoulder, fixing her with a look. "Are you gonna keep score or no?"

She gave a glance back at the path we had taken. I guess just the word vampire had been enough to unsettle her. Then her chin jutted out like it was a challenge she was meeting. "I'll keep score."

Bella sat on a hunk of driftwood while we paired up for the game. Seth got his way, and Gunner ducked under the tent to his side of the 'court'. I tossed the ball up to serve, sending it sailing over the net. "Will you spike that into your brother's face for me?"

"You wish!" Seth parried my serve back to us easily, aiming straight for me. I had lunge to get the ball before it hit the sand. I sent it toward Gunner, hoping my brother's humanity would win us a point. Color me surprised, though, when he sent it back with proper form and everything.

"Gun, what the hell! You don't even play sports!" I would have been equally as surprised if Bella had hit the ball as easily as Gunner just did. Seth and Leah were both laughing, parrying the ball back and forth between each other for a bit.

"All the pack does is play." Gunner actually dove for one of my hits, barely saving it from becoming a point for me and Leah. He didn't hit it hard enough to go over, but just enough for Seth to spike it over. "I had to adapt."

We lapsed into an intense game of blocks and hits and spikes. The points came slow and grudgingly from either side, but true to her word, Bella called out updated numbers each time someone was able to scrape the score forward. When I chanced a look over at her, sitting there on her driftwood log, Bella was actually _smiling._

And across the net, Seth was laughing, dark eyes shining when he lifted Gunner off his feet in celebration of their latest point. Leah was fighting to keep a smile off her face as she watched them. I plucked the ball from where it had landed in the sand, tossing it to Leah for her serve. We carried on our game for a while, but having the siblings split on opposite sides was probably not one of Seth's best ideas.

I already knew that me and Gunner were competitive with each other to the extreme, but I found out that Leah and Seth were very much the same. Bella was the only one smiling now, watching us go to the lengths we were to try to get an upper hand on the other team. At one point, I set Leah up for what could have been a glorious spike. Leah went for it, but with way too much power behind her hand. It sailed over Gunner and Seth's heads, far out of their reach, and sailed until it hit the ground to roll into the shallows of the tide coming in.

"Go get it, Maisie!" Seth was all smiles again at our flub. "See, _neither_ of you can spike."

I rolled my eyes, giving Seth a little push as I went by to retrieve the ball. It bobbed in the shallow water, shining white in the gathering darkness. _Soon it will be too dark for us to play._ Gunner wouldn't be able to see, and neither would Bella. Was it anger or sadness that I felt jot through me at that thought? Maybe a little of both. I stepped into the tiny waves for the ball, cold seawater washing over my ankles.

_I can't even put myself in the same category as other humans anymore._

Perhaps it was the chilliness of the water, or my distracted, self-pitying thoughts. Either way, I didn't notice the cold fingers that wrapped themselves around my ankle until they pulled me under.

Through the roar of the water rushing over my head, I heard Bella's scream. The beach sand under the water was soft, cushioning my fall, but it plumed around me and clouded the water. It wasn't until I saw the red glow of a pair of eyes cut through the cloudiness right in front of my face that I realized this wasn't an unfortunate riptide.

Under the water, I could hear nothing but the waves and the pounding of my heart. A primal fear inside me screamed _Maria_ at the sight of the red eyes, but I knew that wasn't right. Maria was dead, Jasper had made sure of that himself. It didn't fit, the red eyes didn't fit, but it couldn't be anyone else than Irina.

_Right?_

There was no time to waste trying to consider the identity of the person. After one kick, I realized that this course would do me no good. The water made it hard to get any power behind my movement, slowing me enough for the attacker to dodge. I reached down instead, grabbing the wrist that held my ankle in my own hand. I tightened my fingers, squeezing even as I felt the hardened skin beneath my own begin to crack and prick at my palm. No, I wasn't going to stop until that hand was severed from the arm.

Venom began to make the water murky in milky streams. My chest tightened, from adrenaline and lack of oxygen, I was sure. A twist of my wrist, and a muffled crack, and the hand was dislodged. That didn't stop the cold fingers from clinging to my ankle, but it did give me the opportunity to kick away from the vampire and make for the surface.

I took a gasping breath, salty water burning in my eyes as I tried to find the shore. When I had been dragged, it was several meters; my feet were nowhere near touching the sand below me. Blurrily, I spotted all four of them standing in the shallows, trying to figure out where I was. _"Leah!"_

At the sound of my voice, Leah ran and then dove into deeper water immediately. _No,_ my brain screamed. _No, no, don't come like this._ I couldn't get the words from my mouth. That cold hand still clung to my ankle, sluggishly making its way upward along my calf. Jasper never told me severed vampire limbs could still _move._

I tried to swim, to get away from the vampire and closer to Leah, but I had only taken one hand. Two strokes in, I was pulled down again, this time much harder. Down, down, down, several feet until I felt my face slam into something hard. My nose broke on the impact, my blood blooming in the water. I gasped on reflex of the pain, seawater flooding my mouth.

I was released again, the cold hand now gone from my knee. My head felt light from my broken nose and the water I had swallowed, but I made myself try to swim up. Or was it down? I couldn't tell. My chest hurt again. Blood was still streaming from my face, making it even harder to see in the dark water. A whole arm wrapped itself around me, this time fever-hot. _Leah._

Leah pulled me to the surface again. I spit out what was left of the water. I was begging immediately. "We have to get out of the water. Right now! We have to get out of the water!"

"Vampire?" was her only question. We were swimming away before I could even nod. Ripping the hand off bought us time, I supposed—just enough that we made it to shore, where I coughed up what was left of the seawater before I could elaborate.

"I think it's Irina," I said, pushing sopping wet strands of hair off my face. My hands came away red. "Gunner, take Bella and get out of here."

The hand stunt bought us only enough time to get to shore. Before Gunner could even react to my words, there was Irina herself, pulling herself from the sea. "They'll be staying."

I was right, her eyes were the shocking red of a vampire freshly fed on human blood. The ripping sound of Leah and Seth's shifting didn't throw her at all; even as two massive wolves now flanked us, Irina didn't stop her beeline for us.

"I've watched before," she said. "I know these two. The only she-wolf in the pack and a young pup."

Gunner would be a faster runner, I was certain. Bella was likely to fall down, given her track history. Plus, my brother wasn't as bone-white with fear as Bella was in the rising moonlight.

"Go!" I told Gunner, pushing him behind us. "Run and get Sam and the others!"

My decision banked on the assumption that Irina was alone, but I had already hedged my bets there. She had been alone when she stalked the edges of the territory, alone when she ran to the Volturi, alone as she attacked me in the water. I pushed Gunner again, spurring him to action. Behind me, there was a terrible crash and a loud whine, causing Bella to start to shake.

I took her arm, warning her, "Stay on your feet." We were not on a secluded section of the beach by any means. The fight would be loud, I knew, and loud drew attention. Pulling Bella along, an idea suddenly came to me.

"We're going to the woods," I told her. "Just over there."

I stopped only to pick up a piece of fortuitous sea glass nestled in the sand. Bella was slow and lurching in her run, but we made it to the tree line unfollowed.

"Jacob's told you the Cold Ones story, right?" Her eyes were huge, dark saucers of fear in her white face, but she nodded. "Listen to me. We _have_ to get her off the beach. I need you to do something without questioning it."

I pressed the sharp sea glass into her hand. She looked down at it, pale green even in the moonlight, before raising her panicked eyes to meet mine. "Just your palm. Do it, Bella."

"She'll come for me." She protested, her voice breaking over the words. I grabbed her face between my hands, my blood smearing across her cheeks.

"I won't let her near you," I promised. "But we need to draw her over here."

Another wolf cry of pain punctuated my words. "Bella, you have to. I'm already bleeding, and she doesn't care. She'll come for you I know she will. I'll keep you safe, just trust me."

She nodded, though I was certain she didn't believe me. Then she drew the sharp edge of the sea glass along her palm, drawing a red line of fresh blood. What I didn't expect was the tug that line of red drew from me. My stomach roiled at the sight—not from queasiness over blood or disgust. From hunger.

I pulled a strand of my salt water-soaked hair across my nose and mouth, taking a shaking breath. The brine helped steady me, and I turned away so I didn't have to see the blood. Instead, I faced the imagine of Irina becoming a streak of blonde hair and white skin as she, too, caught onto the scent of Bella's blood.

Irina beat Seth and Leah to the trees. I blocked her advance, her body slamming into me at full speed. Her impact knocked me from my feet. I hit the ground on my back, clinging desperately to Irina's arms and clothing to keep her with me, away from Bella.

"Leave her!" I screamed at Irina, grabbing her face and slamming her head against a huge tree near us. The tree splintered more than her skin, but I would take what I could get. Creaking, skin split along her cheek and around her eye. She smiled at me, red eyes seeming to glow in the night. "You didn't come for her; you came for _me._"

"You're right." Her wicked smile widened as she threw her weight on me, pinning me to the ground. Roughly, she pushed my chin up. I realized, dumbly, that she had the time to reattach her hand. I felt her nails scratch across my skin as she exposed my neck. Her cold breath washed over me, and I closed my eyes against what was coming for me.

Suddenly her weight was gone, air flooding back into my lungs. Seth had reached us first; between his legs I could see Leah limp toward us. She settled herself before Bella, emitting a warning growl to the distance before licking at a bleeding wound on her front leg.

I shimmied out from under Seth, rolling onto my feet. "It's us against her, I guess."

He let me use his huge shoulder to pull myself up, his coarse fur sinking under my palm. She came streaking back to us only for Seth to throw her again—this time, a whole arm remained in his jaws, the venom streaking down his chin and throat. I ran forward as Seth tossed the limb back to his sister. He had only thrown Irina a few feet, but Seth had the good aim to slam her against a boulder jutting from a small hill.

As I got closer, I could hear the eerie creaking sound of her skin cracking and healing itself. I wouldn't give it time to heal, I decided. Though she was crouching, Irina grabbed at my arm with the one she had left. She tried to get my hand close enough to bite, but instead I grabbed hold of her hair. Using all my strength, I slammed her head back against the bolder.

The ensuing sound made me shiver, the creaking and crunching of her skin and bones giving way at the same time the rock did. But when I saw one red eye pop from its socket, I gagged. Still, Irina could see her opportunity, and she took it. The stub Seth had left her with ended somewhere between her shoulder and elbow, dripping the venom that made up a vampire's body fluids.

While my mouth was still open, her hand latched onto my jaw, fingers digging into my skin. I couldn't have gotten my mouth closed if I had time to try. Irina used her stub of an arm to drip the venom into my mouth. The acidic taste of it mixed with my blood, still filling my mouth from my nose. She forced my mouth shut herself, clenching her hand over my lips. _"Swallow."_

I did as I was bid, knowing full well I could be sealing my fate. She knew it, too. When she smiled, her ruined cheek mirrored the grin with bare teeth. Seconds later, Seth was on her, but her victory must have given her a second wind. This time, she threw him… so far that he slammed into Leah, and they narrowly missed hitting Bella full on. Luckily, Bella had thrown herself down and away, but Leah still accidentally landed a foot squarely on Bella's leg in the impact.

Her scream of pain mixed with the keening of the wolf siblings.

The venom had burned a path down my throat to my stomach. I could feel it there, hot as embers, that breath of fire spreading from my middle outward through my body. But this wasn't over. I pushed myself up fully.

"You'll die tonight," I promised Irina.

"And you'll come with me." The spreading fever flush made me aware of my injuries. The pounding in my head from the broken nose, the sting of various scrapes and the dull throb of rising bruises. I barely got my arms up to block Irina's attack, her nails carving into my skin to raise yet more blood.

She was right, I would have gone with her. I had no doubts about that, but my salvation came in the form of a colossal black wolf, so inky only his yellows eyes showed in the night over Irina's head. That is, until he opened his jaws to show massive white teeth.

I slid to the ground, back against the bolder, and watched Sam take hold of Irina's head in his mouth. Another wolf—Jacob, chocolate brown, nearly as large as his Alpha—took a leg. Together, with a terrible tearing sound, they made quick work of reducing the vampire to pieces.

* * *

**A/N: **To _neverlands-star:_ Thank you for your kind words! Myself and my family are doing well despite the craziness COVID-19 has brought with it. I hope that all of you can say the same. Stay safe and healthy out there, y'all. A positive (hard to find these days, I know) is that I've been able to catch up on homework and writing work alike. I hope to see y'all again before the next two weeks of our three week closure is over.

I hope you were surprised by this turn of events. The idea for this chapter specifically is what majorly inspired me to write a sequel to _Preciosa_. I'm so excited to finally have it out for all of you to read!

A fun fact to leave y'all with: Any time I write action-packed scenes for Maisie, I listen to **Woman King**, by Iron and Wine. I feel like the song is really befitting of our girl.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

I could hear Bella moaning through the roaring in my ears. I felt like my head was still underwater, the way sound came muffled and distorted to me. Too bad I wasn't cold anymore, as I was when Irina dragged me through the water. I was _hot_, down to my bones. It felt like there was fire raging beneath my skin, sapping my energy so that I stayed slouched against the boulder Irina had thrown me into, knees pulled up to my chest and face buried in my arms.

If I was dying—or turning—I would do it in what minimal privacy I was afforded here.

That was my plan, anyway, but cool hands pulled my arms away and exposed my mediocre hiding attempt. I was too weak to fight against it, and then those cool hands were cupping my cheeks, forcing my face upward.

"Throw it up." Gunner's red hair came into watery focus first, bright even in the moonlight. At least compared to his pale, scared face.

"What?" I asked, voice cracking and failing, throat burning from the seawater and venom I had swallowed that night. Slowly, the details of my brother's face became clear, and I could make out the frenzy and fear making his hazel eyes bright in his pallid face.

_"Throw it up,"_ he repeated. Was he yelling? Or was that just an effect of the roaring? "Like the night you fought Maria. Throw it up or I'll make you do it myself."

My mouth was already hanging open as I stared blankly at Gunner. He took my hand and forced it toward my mouth, and finally I understood.

He thought if I made myself throw up the venom, I might save myself.

"That's gross." I wasn't entirely certain, but I thought he rolled his eyes at me.

I wasn't so sure, but in that moment, I knew I had to. If not for my benefit, then for his. To ease the terror drawn so plainly on his face.

Even though it felt like I was moving through concrete, I did what Gunner wanted. The venom was just as acidic and vile coming up as it had been when I swallowed it. My already raw throat was lit afire anew and tears—somehow hotter than my skin—rolled down my cheeks. I nearly choked on it before it was all through; but bless my brother. He rubbed my back through the whole gross ordeal.

"There," I rasped, voice almost failing me entirely now. "Happy?"

I felt like I couldn't get enough air in my lungs, but I had no idea if that was from the venom or the retching. A fever lingered, but the fire that had been raging in my bones and muscles ebbed. I was left with a deep weariness that threatened to pull me under. Maybe Gunner had a point about ridding my stomach of the venom after all.

"Yes," he sighed. I wasn't sure what everyone else who had been there during the fight—Bella, Seth, Leah, Sam, and Jacob—were doing. To be honest, I didn't even know when Gunner had gotten back. My world had condensed to the pain and the distorted sounds of Bella's moaning before Gunner lifted my head.

Now he slid his arm behind my back, sitting me up better and coaxing me to climb onto his back. I gladly let my little brother carry me, eyes fluttering shut and succumbing to the exhaustion left in the wake of my fight with Irina.

* * *

I woke up when my feet hit the ground, jolting something akin to consciousness. My head still spun, my body feeling heavy and drugged. Gunner was holding me steady by one arm as I started to rub at my face.

"Ow, crap," I gasped. In my sluggishness, I had forgotten the fact that I had bruised my face and broken my nose. Or, rather, _Irina_ had done all that.

"Yeah, you broke your face," Gunner so helpfully informed me.

"Uh, yeah, I remember. I was there." Slowly, I felt solid on my feet again. Moving any part of my body was still a struggle, my limbs feeling heavy and slow. Eventually, I realized we were standing outside the Clearwater house. Leah and Seth were still with us, of course, and Jacob had joined us. He was carrying Bella the same way Gunner had been carrying me, but he didn't set her down.

Leah, Seth, and Jacob were all clothed. I wondered vaguely at that—the werewolves were naked when they shifted back. I knew that from Leah's stories and all the times she had complained about bein the only female wolf. I almost asked, but Gunner cut me off.

"We came up with a cover while you took a nap," Gunner explained. "As far as any of our parents need to know, Jacob met up with us at the beach. When the sun went down, we headed to his house and you wanted to drive Bella's motorcycle he keeps there, but you crashed and Bella was riding with you, which is why y'all are hurt."

"Why do _I_ have to be the one to crash? And why don't Leah and Seth have cover stories?"

Seth's smile flashed white in the night. "Werewolf regeneration skills. Nothing to lie about when you're already healed."

Leah rolled her eyes at him. "We're hardly X-Men. _You_ don't actually know how to drive a motorcycle, Maisie."

"Oh, yeah." I had forgotten that little truth. For all the rides I had taken on the back of Jasper's bike, I had no idea how to drive it myself. It all made sense to my muddled brain, but only time would tell if it would fly with our parents.

Charlie was distraught, of course, fussing over Bella but not at all surprised that she had ended up hurt. He admitted that he expected Bella to somehow get scuffed during the volleyball game she didn't participate in, looking sheepish all the while. Sue, on the other hand, seemed to have assumed something closer to the truth had happened. Her dark eyes watched us all warily as Jacob set Bella on the couch gently.

Our parents weren't all that surprised, either. Gunner and I had gotten ourselves into trouble together enough in our lives that the appearance of my face tracked along with our past behavior.

"Maisie, your face looks _yuck_," Ava enthused, not ashamed at all while sharing her brutally honest opinion. She scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue, a physical manifestation of how I felt right at that moment.

"My face feels _yuck_." The rasp had mostly faded from my voice even though I had to breath through my mouth. It sounded thick, though, unable to form the words correctly through the pressure in my broken nose.

"Not a smart move, Maisie Daisy. Think Carlisle would take you in as a house call patient?"

Bless. Dad was giving us an excuse to go to the Cullen house, which was our plan anyway. Mom's hands were all fidgety around my face, never quite touching me, afraid to touch any part lest she hurt me. "I think Dad's right. You should get straight to Carlisle, whether he's at the hospital or at home."

"He should be home," I lied. I had no idea if Carlisle was working that night or not, but I knew Edward or Rosalie could examine the damage to my nose and set it. "Gunner can take me."

I gave a sigh of relief when neither argued, but I had Ava to thank for that. She was tugging at Mom's hand. "Can we go home, then? We don't have to go to Dr. Cullen's?"

"No," Mom said eventually, reluctantly. "I suppose not. Drive carefully, Gunner."

Leah was fast. When Sue came back from the kitchen with an ice pack for the big, deep bruise on Bella's leg, Leah pecked her mother on the cheek. "I'm gonna go with them, just to be safe."

She ushered us out the door and into Gunner's car before anyone could protest. I leaned my head against the cold glass of the window and waited for Gunner to get going. But there was a pause; a car door opened and shut, and Seth's voice was filling the backseat. "Rude. I want to come, too."

"Fine," Leah allowed, the word curt. I hadn't bothered to open my eyes, but I could practically feel the annoyance rolling off her in the moment. "I guess it's not a terrible idea to have backup."

Parading as only hurt so far as my obviously broken nose was exhausting. I still felt weak and feverish, my body heavy and dully aching. On one side, the window cooled my blistered skin. On the other, I could feel Seth's natural heat rolling off him, we were in such close quarters in Gunner's back seat. But his warmth was different than my fever, almost soothing on my aching muscles.

I shouldn't have been surprised I fell asleep again.

* * *

_This_ time when I woke up, it was because of the cold jolt of Jasper's hand against my cheek. He must have caught my head when he opened the car door before I could tumble out.

"I thought you said she purged herself of the venom?" I wondered if Gunner could hear the edge to Jasper's honeyed words. I leaned into Jasper's touch, welcoming the cooling rush his skin provided against my own. "She's like a furnace."

Was I, though? I definitely didn't feel as hot as I had before Gunner made me puke. "Yeah, but you're cold."

My voice was slurred with sleep even to my own ears. Jasper's softened when he answered me. He had gently lifted me into his arms by that point, and I buried my face in the crook of his shoulder. I could feel the thrum of his voice when he spoke. "You're right,_ mi amor._"

Jasper walked slowly, I suppose not to jostle me. Or perhaps he was assessing me, because I assumed he addressed Gunner again. "Her heartbeat is stable, at least."

I was wrong, Carlisle wasn't home, but Esme was. Jasper set me on the couch, disappearing momentarily and returning with a washcloth soaked in cool water. He started to dab gently at my face, touch featherlight. Esme fussed over me just as my mother had, hands fluttering around my swollen, aching nose. "Rosalie!"

Esme's call for her daughter wasn't that loud—you would think she was calling Rosalie to come downstairs. But Rosalie came through the sliding glass door that was in the middle of the back, glass wall of the Cullen's living room.

"What have you done to yourself _this_ time?" Despite her tone, there was no bite in her words as she swatted Jasper away and cupped my chin. "Your nose is a mess. Can you even breath through it?"

"No," I admitted. Rosalie had used the question to distract me. Before I even processed what she was doing, her fingers pinched the bridge of my nose. I felt the cartilage grind against itself as Rosalie righted my nose, the motion letting loose a new wave of blood. It fell hot and fast, spilling into my mouth. Thankfully, Rosalie snatched the washcloth from Jasper's hand to staunch it.

With Rosalie crouched before me, I was able to see Emmett and Alice come racing through the glass door. Rosalie had left it open in her haste at Esme's call. Emmett skidded to a stop abruptly but Alice, ever so agile, side-stepped him before she could slam into his back.

"Damn, Maise! Fight a vampire again?" The glitter in Emmett's pale gold eyes belied his teasing amusement.

_"Yes,"_ Seth enthused somewhere behind me. Gunner, Leah, and Seth must have followed Jasper inside. "She was a _badass._"

Then he launched into a retelling of our altercation with Irina. My nose had stopped its second wave of bleeding, and though Rosalie was tugging at my arm to clean the scratches Irina left behind, I reached for Jasper with my other. He let me curl into his side even as Rosalie insisted on cleaning my arm. I was hardly listening to Seth's excited retelling, more preoccupied with how tired I was.

I must have looked as horrible as I felt. Any energy I had had been spent on playing my part in the ruse for our parents. I was spent, and nobody argued with me falling asleep with my head on Jasper's chest.

* * *

**A/N: **Hello, friends!

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed since last chapter and asked if I am well. Yes! My family and I have been very lucky during this time. I'm hoping that all of you can say the same.

I know, I know, I know. I said I would have more written and out during this time. Let me explain: I got scared. Plain and simple.

I think, when writing fanfiction stories, it can be so intimidating because of the dreaded 'Mary Sue' situation. You never want your character to feel like they are coming across that way. And even though I have a LOT planned with the Volturi to explain my reimagining of vampirism within the _Twilight _universe, that is still a few chapters away. I got it worked up in my head that the events of this chapter and the next two would upset or turn people away before we get to the chapters with the Volturi.

The way Stephenie Meyer wrote the supernatural characters in Twilight, I feel, left a lot of gray area. I intend to exploit that soon.

Also... guys... _Midnight Sun _is finally being released! Did y'all see that?


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Gunner

**-GUNNER-**

* * *

I would never tell Maisie, but she looked like shit. She was nearly as pale as Jasper when she fell asleep. Bruises were starting to darken under her eyes, a side effect of her broken nose. But there was another staining her forehead, and still more dotted across her arms and legs.

"…and then Sam and Jake came, and it was _so cool,_ that vampire chick was like a ragdoll when they got a hold of her!"

Seth, of course, did not know that Irina was basically a family member of the Cullens'. I was sure that they were sad, despite it all. While everyone else had the good grace to forgive his ignorance, Rosalie's head snapped up from where she was dabbing astringent on Maisie's arm.

"Why are the dogs here?"

Esme sucked a breath before admonishing Rosalie in a near-whisper. She wasn't deterred, though, defiantly looking between Lea and Seth.

"To make sure Maisie got here safe," Leah snapped back. "You're welcome."

Rosalie's eyes burned like golden flames, but her mouth stayed shut. Jasper had reached for her with his free hand, the one not cradling Maisie. He took hold of Rosalie's arm, giving it a light squeeze. A warning. I was pretty sure she was grinding her teeth together as she finished cleaning and bandaging Maisie's arm. "I'm going to see what's keeping Edward and Jasmine."

On her way out the door, Emmett caught her about the waist and waggled his eyebrows. He was teasing her. Emmett really did let everything roll off him. "You don't have to see to know what they're up to, babe."

Even with his teasing, Rosalie pushed passed him after he kissed her cheek and streaked out the door. Seth and Leah stayed behind, keeping their backs to the wall. I thought that Leah had been to the Cullen house and around them enough times to have lost her bristling distrust, but Seth was here now. She knew the Cullens would never hurt me; they hadn't yet proved themselves to her where her brother was concerned.

I stepped away from them, and closer to Jasper and my sister.

"Will she be okay? I made her throw it up," I told him, even though he already knew. I couldn't read the look on his face, but I had seen it before. Maisie called it his 'strategizing' face—when he drew into himself and his eyes looked a million miles away.

"She's not getting hotter," he offered, after a lengthy pause that made my heart race. Dipping his head low, he seemed to take a sniff of Maisie's hair. I realized, at that small gesture, that this was the closest I had probably ever stood next to him. I always forgot that Jasper was the Cullen who most often 'slipped up'. "And her heart isn't racing. I highly doubt, tough little thing that she is, that Maisie would sleep so soundly through a true turning. The pain is unimaginable. I…I admit, I don't know what's going on."

"Can't one of you see?" Seth's voice cut in. "That's a thing, right? Leah said one of your guys can see into the future."

"Not with you around," came Alice's reply. I didn't look up, but her frustration was obvious. "Werewolves leave me blinded."

"That's so cool! I mean, not that you're blind because we're here, but the whole seeing into the future thing."

I rolled my eyes, not that Seth could see. "When will Carlisle be back?"

"He's working through the night," Jasper sighed, the motion disturbing Maisie. She grumbled incoherently before pulling herself closer to him. "I don't mean to be rude, but Alice truly won't be able to use her sight so long as the two of you are in such close proximity. I know you care for Maisie, too, and answers would ease everyone's minds, but we can't get immediate insight with Alice waylaid."

It was probably the politest eviction I have ever heard. I pushed away from the couch, digging my keys from my pocket.

"Here," I told Leah. "Take my car back to La Push. I'll have Dad take me to get it tomorrow."

"We can run back," Leah tried to argue, but I took her hand and pressed my keys into her palm.

"Y'all have already ruined one set of clothes today," I reminded her. "Do you really feel like searching through the woods again to find a stash?"

That's what the wolves had done after the fight. I had gone to Sam's house to find him and gotten Jacob as bonus reinforcements. They shifted almost before they were off the porch, loping in the direction I had pointed. Emily—Sam's imprint, Leah's cousin—had grabbed for my hand and told me to wait it out at the house, but I shook her off. I was so slow that I got back after the fighting was over, the wolves retreating into the forest and coming back with new clothes in their human form.

Leah sighed her defeat before bouncing forward to kiss me. "Call me, okay?"

"Duh," I told her, trying to get her to smile and break up the harsh lines of her anxious face. But Leah only smirked and flicked me on the nose the way she always did when she thought I was being a brat.

Only once they were gone did I take stock of the Cullens currently at the house. Emmett had sprawled himself into an armchair, flicking through a book someone had left on the coffee table. He didn't seem much interested in it. Esme was pacing by the back wall, watching for Rosalie, Edward, and Jasmine to return, but she kept throwing looks over her shoulder at Maisie.

"You'll work yourself into a headache, Ali," Jasper warned behind me. When I turned, I saw the freaky, blank stare look Alice took on when she was trying to see into the future. Her face was screwed up in concentration this time, though, and she shushed Jasper.

"It's getting clearer."

Even with her sight in the future, Alice easily found the couch and sat beside Maisie and Jasper. She perched on the edge. I was too wired to sit, but somehow, I kept myself from pacing like Esme. There was a clock somewhere. I could hear it ticking softly. I started counting the ticks in an effort to keep myself sane.

At thirteen, Emmett tossed the book onto the coffee table and stretched his huge body out to grab the remote instead.

"It's too quiet," he grumbled.

At twenty-nine, Esme abandoned her lookout spot. She came behind the couch to stand behind me, running her hands over both Jasper and Maisie's heads.

Thirty-three. Alice sucked her breath in.

"Huh." She breathed back out.

Thirty-five. "Care to elaborate?" Emmett asked, giving voice to our thoughts.

Thirty-six. Thirty-seven. Thirty-eight. Alice's eyes were still far away. Jasper was drumming his fingers against the arm rest. Thirty-nine. Forty.

"I… don't understand." Forty-one.

"Where the hell is Eddy when we need him?" Forty-two.

"You don't understand _what,_ precisely, Ali?" Forty-three.

"We need more than that, honey." Forty-four.

Forty-five. Forty-six. Forty-seven. Forty-eight.

_"Alice"._ The whole time, I'd been too scared to speak, but not Jasper. He all but hissed his sister's name.

Forty-nine. Fifty.

"I had to make sure, okay?" Alice's lips set in a pout. "It doesn't make sense."

Fifty-one. Fifty-two. Fifty-three.

We were all waiting. Alice had the privilege of knowing, and she was being stingy with her knowledge. I thought Jasper might snap at her again, but she held her hand up and shook her head.

At fifty-eight, I would have fallen if Esme's cool, gentle hand hadn't caught my elbow.

At fifty-eight, Alice turned to use with a bright smile on her face. She nearly lit up the night.

"Well," she told us, absolutely giddy, "she won't be a _vampire._"

The relief that flooded through me made my knees watery. I didn't even care about the emphasis that Alice put on that word.

_My sister won't be a vampire._

"I need to call Leah," I said, not caring how thick my voice sounded. Jasper had dipped his head over Maisie's again. Esme pointed upstairs for me.

"Third door around the corner," she whispered to me.

For the first time, I found myself in Jasper's room. It was mostly empty, since he and Maisie mostly lived in Alaska now. His closet door stood open, showing what little clothing hung inside. A stack of ancient books was leaning, unstable, in the middle of the floor. An image flashed through my mind, Jasper laying on his stomach on Maisie's bedroom floor while he read.

A futon sat pressed to one wall. I fell heavily onto it, my hands shaking as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I was barely able to find Leah's name and dial before the tears were running down my face.

"Leah." My voice broke in the most hideous way over her name. "She's gonna be okay."


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

'Okay' was a liberal descriptor. Leah told me about Gunner's phone call the night Irina died. Her heart had melted and broken all at once, I could see it on her face when she recounted it. I was lucky that Leah would be there to take care of Gunner, always.

But she also told me about the burning of Irina's body. Since Gunner had sent her and Seth back to La Push so Alice could use her sight, they had arrived just in time for the whole ordeal. There had been a note that Sam found. It must have fallen from Irina's pocket at some point during the fight.

Irina's sisters' names were written on the note in a delicate hand. Sam saved it from the burning to give to Leah. She passed it along to me, but even just holding it made my stomach turn. I gave it to Carlisle and Esme. I couldn't bear to keep it.

Alice was right, I was not turned. But I was fundamentally changed. Enough so that Emmett had taken to calling me a 'changeling' in the last few days we all spent in Forks.

If I wasn't sure what I was before, now I really felt displaced. I couldn't call myself human anymore, but vampire didn't quite fit either.

I was never in any pain. After I emptied my stomach of Irina's venom, there was no longer a fire raging in my veins. I still ran a fever through the night, according to Jasper, but it wasn't the burn of a true turning. These changes only took one night, not the traditional three. I was exhausted enough to have my first dreamless night in months.

I always thought I had decent eyesight. I never needed glasses or contacts, but when I opened my eyes the morning after Irina's death, I realized I might as well have been blind before. This revelation came to me after I had rubbed the sleep from my eyes and my gaze had landed on Jasper's face.

I knew that Jasper was scarred from his time in the southern vampire armies. I had learned them well over the past three years, able to chart their path across his skin with my fingertips. But it had always been difficult for me to make out his scars, silvery-pale as they were against his skin, unless the light hit them just right.

In the watery morning sun forcing its way through my curtains, though, it was like I was seeing Jasper for the first time. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, leafing through one of my books, waiting patiently for me to wake up. The fact that he wasn't paying me that much mind should have been a good indicator that I was fine—not a vampire like I had expected to leave my fight with Irina—but I was too entranced by his profile.

Even in the dim light, I could easily see the scars that crisscrossed his neck and bled over the edge of his jaw here and there.

"Woah," I murmured, so eloquently. I could see, now, why vampires who didn't know Jasper were wary of him. Those scars told the story of a victorious warrior. Had I not known him… I would be lying if I said there wasn't an air of danger to Jasper. I reached for him just as he began to turn toward me. I caught his face between my hands so I could get a better look.

"What are you doing?" Jasper asked, but I was watching the way a scar tugged at his lower lip, keeping the corner of it tight as his mouth formed the words. How had I never noticed that before? Or that the scar that ran through one eyebrow was so long, curving from his temple to cut a path through the eyebrow and fade out mid-way through his eyelid?

I ran my thumb across his lower lip, feeling the scar there beneath my skin. But then something dawned on me—vampires had drastically advanced vision. I drew in a sharp breath, my eyes widening. "What color are my eyes?"

"Blue," Jasper answered immediately. "Bruised, now, but blue. As always."

He untangled himself from me, smoothing my hair down in a soothing fashion. Jasper must have felt the inklings of my building panic before I acknowledged it myself. It rose within me, making my chest tighten and my head spin.

"How?" I asked. Flashes of the night before flooded into my mind. "I drank her venom."

_I drank her venom,_ my thought echoed back to me. _I should be a vampire now. I drank her venom._

Jasper watched me flounder, letting me work through my memories on my own. "Gunner made me throw it up. I remember that. But…"

"But we had theorized any further doses of venom would set you over the edge and cause a vampiric turning," Jasper finished for me. His words were soft and soothing, as was the warm calm he tried to diffuse me with. I shook my head desperately against both. "You've proven our theory wrong."

I pushed past Jasper, leaving him half-covered by my blankets as I fled my bed. In my bathroom mirror, I took stock of my changes—or relative lack thereof. Blonde hair askew from sleep. Jasper was right, my face was bruised under my eyes and across the bridge of my nose. Otherwise, my face was pale—from fear, not from the stilling of my heart, which was pounding beneath my ribs.

And my eyes, blue. _As always._

"This doesn't make sense," I whispered when Jasper's reflection appeared behind me in the mirror. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling him to me. Tears were pricking at my eyes. When I blinked, they rolled, hot, down my cheeks.

I had no idea if I was crying from relief or anger.

"I know," Jasper admitted. He met my eye in the reflection. "Suffice it to say we—all of us—are just as surprised as you are. But here's my question for you, _mi corazon._ How do you _feel_? Physically speaking."

He knew how I felt in terms of emotions. I knew he was riding the tumultuous waves of confusion with me. My anger and relief and guilt…everything coursing through me was as much Jasper's as it was my own. Jasper's question gave me pause. I hadn't taken account of any physical changes aside from my improved eyesight. I went still within the circle of Jasper's arms, thinking.

I knew I had fought with Irina. That was fresh in my mind, now. Her sick, taunting smiles. My desperation to keep her away from Gunner and Bella. Fighting alongside Seth and Leah. How tired and sore I felt afterward.

That morning, though, I felt… fine. More than fine. Were it not for the bruises splotching my face and the scratches marring my arm, I wouldn't have ever guessed I had been in a fight for my life the night before. Nowhere did my body hurt. Outside appearances would disagree, but I felt whole and healthy.

"I feel fine." My voice sounded confused even to myself. "I…don't think I should."

"But you do," Jasper asserted. I felt him deflate, chest collapsing as he sighed in relief. "Ali said you would, but…"

He trailed off. I spun in his arms, tilting my head to look up at him. "But I _shouldn't_."

My family was still sleeping. I knew better than to shout, but I wanted to. I forced myself to keep my voice low.

"I knew what I was doing. I was ready! I shouldn't be here, like this!"

I had made my choice. Finally. I chose to let myself turn, to sacrifice myself for Gunner and Leah, for Seth and Bella. I knew what I was choosing for myself before Gunner made me through up the venom, but now I was left with…

I didn't even know what. I didn't know what I was. It was supposed to be simple, I was supposed to go from human to vampire. I was so mad I wanted to hit something. Or throw something.

Jasper was still leaps and bounds stronger than me, though. I was all but helpless as he wrapped his arms tighter around me, holding me flush against him as I started to sob.

* * *

Before we returned to Alaska, Carlisle put me through more than a few tests to catalogue my status. Seth was all too happy to return to the Cullen house to help with that. Leah came in tow, of course. As much as she got along with the Cullens, she still refused to let Seth be alone in the company of them.

With the help of Seth and Leah, it was determined I was stronger. I bested Seth in an arm-wrestling match, much to Emmett's delight.

"That's my little sister!" He had boomed, lifting me off my feet in a hug that was slightly too tight. "Our little, changeling, vampire-fighter!"

It was a much closer contest with Leah, our efforts ending in a draw with three victorious rounds each between us. Edward could testify to improved sight. My hearing and smell were better, too. That first morning, I could hear Dad running the shower four rooms down. Not to mention the healing factor—within two days, my bruising was yellowed and healing.

Luckily, I could explain away the vastly improved appearance of my bruises by blaming it on makeup tricks I learned from YouTube tutorials.

But the most concerning new symptom was my heart. It was something I hadn't noticed myself, but the Cullens and Seth and Leah could both attest to. My heartbeat had slowed. Considerably. It hadn't stopped, but it plodded along, taking on a meandering rhythm.

I wasn't on the level of a vampire, but I was removed from typical human abilities, too. Honestly… it seemed I was akin to the wolves.

Well, except for my blood diet. It became apparent pretty quickly that I needed it now more than ever. I could still eat human food, and it tasted normal to me. But I wasn't hungry anymore. Only thirsty.

* * *

Gunner was thrilled I was still 'human'. His relief was so evident on his face, in his shining hazel eyes and bright smiles. I could hardly stand it.

Emmett or Alice, either. They were both excited for the opposite reason, welcoming my new vampiric traits in a way I could not. I also didn't like Carlisle's worried or Esme's sad eyes, either. I knew she was mourning Irina. Despite it all, Irina had still been family to the Cullens. Edward was easier to handle, probably because he could hear all my internal struggles and tactfully avoid upsetting me. I'm sure he clued Jasmine in, because she followed suit.

Rosalie, no surprise, was the only one not afraid to call me out.

I had gone to the driftwood beach to be alone with my self-pitying thoughts the evening before Jasper and I went back to Alaska. I told my parents I was going to check on Bella and would be back later. That was only half a lie. I really did go to the Swan house first, much to Jacob Black's chagrin.

"What are you doing here?" He had asked, crossing his arms, his huge body effectively blocking the entirety of the door frame. Jacob had opened the door. I knew Charlie wasn't home; his police cruiser was missing from the driveway.

"Got short term memory problems or what?" I snapped. "Seems you forgot I saved your girlfriend last week."

I had made him angry. I could see that in the slight tremor his fisted hands took on, but I didn't care. He didn't scare me. I had run through so many emotions in the last week that I was numb and raw inside at that point.

"Jake!" I heard Bella call. "Lay off. It was Leah who stepped on my leg, and that was an accident."

_Yeah, Jake, lay off._

He held my gaze for a beat longer, dark eyes narrowing into a glare before he stepped aside for me.

Bella still limped, but her bruise was healing, too. She turned her leg for me to see, the edges already lightening.

"Deep tissue bruises hurt, huh? I got a few from softball. Feels like your bone's broken, but it's not. And they take _forever_ to heal."

The visit to Bella's house was a courtesy call, basically. An attempt to try to ease some of my guilt, if I'm being honest. Seeing Bella mostly well had soothed it some. I needed to remind myself why I had fought Irina, why I hadn't felt bad when Sam and Jacob intervened and ended the whole bloody ordeal.

For Gunner. For Leah and Seth. For Bella.

I went to the beach after, like I said, for a one-person pity party. Rosalie crashed that, though. I knew she was there before she sat beside me on the dock. The sand cushioned her footsteps to nothing but a whisper, but I could still hear them. And I could smell her perfume wafting on the sea breeze.

When she sat, Rosalie tucked her legs primly beneath herself. My own were dangling over the edge of the pier, bare feet lapped by the little tide waves. The clouds had broken apart along the horizon where the sun was setting, so that the sunset was echoed in the shimmer of Rosalie's skin.

She sat beside me quietly for a bit, face turned toward the setting sun.

"You couldn't make the choice for yourself or for Jasper, but you made it for your brother. Twice." Rosalie said it so plainly, and I think that was on purpose. With my emotions so raw, though, I immediately read accusation in it. Just as I began to bristle, Rosalie raised one slim, white hand to stop me. "I understand."

"…you do?" When she smiled, it didn't reach the sadness in her amber eyes.

"We're more alike than one would guess, Maisie. I would not have chosen this life for myself, as you know. You weren't going to, either." I looked down at the water beneath us. I never wanted to admit this to myself, but I knew it was true. Rosalie knew, too. She just wasn't afraid to say it.

I clenched my hands, nails cutting into my palms. I hated to hear it said even if it was true. And, oh, was it true.

"The Volturi would have made me. If they didn't kill me."

"Force is not a choice," she said gently. "You're angry now because you made your choice, but it didn't happen the way you intended."

"It's because I threw up the venom. I shouldn't have listened to Gunner. I should have just let myself turn and begged forgiveness from the Volturi next month."

She watched me with those amber eyes, scrutinizing me. "You don't believe that."

I sagged beneath her gaze. She reached across the space between us to take my hand, uncurling my fingers to slip hers through mine. "I know my own hypocrisy. When I saw that bear tearing into Emmett's chest all those years ago, I don't know what came over me. I had already come to despise humans because they had what I had lost and so desperately wanted back. If I had my life to live over again, I would not choose this life for me. If I had been human when I met Emmett, and he a vampire, I still would not have chosen this life for me. Yet, when I found Emmett weak and bleeding, I took the choice from him. I begged Carlisle to turn this human boy. Though I didn't yet love him, I knew I would be devastated if he died. I have never denied that I am selfish."

"It's kind of weird." Rosalie had fallen quiet. It took me several seconds to realize she was waiting for me to speak. "None of us are twins, but I feel like we are. I know Jasper considers you his true twin, anyway."

She smiled at that, dipping her head. "We spent a lot of time together his first decade in the family. He was angry a lot, and so was I. Jasper needed to learn control, and I was the second-best, behind Carlisle, even then. I suppose we really bonded during that time."

"Gunner is not so much younger than me. He's in all my memories, even the very early ones. I was too young to remember a life without him." My throat started to tighten. "I can't imagine a life without him, either."

Rosalie didn't comment when tears began to roll down my cheeks. I had spent a lot of time crying in the past year.

"I had two brothers," she said eventually. "They were much younger than me. I don't think I loved them the way I should have in my human life, the way you love your brother. I was silly and vapid and too aware of my beauty. Why pay them much mind when I was so busy getting attention for myself? But not a day has gone by since my turning that I haven't thought about them. But now… if it had been Everett and Augustus in Gunner's place, I would have done the same thing."

The air seemed to still when Rosalie spoke her brothers' names. She had told me once before she had brothers in her human life, but Jasper had told me once that only Emmett knew their names. Well, and Edward, of course, but he had always respected Rosalie enough to keep that to himself.

Rosalie gave my hand a squeeze, and then she leaned over and pressed a light kiss to my cheek.

"You've long been my sister, Maisie, before I had accepted it. You protected our family as well as your human family against James. I know it may be hard to believe he would need saving, but you saved Jasper from Maria, too. Not just Gunner. You protect and you save and you lose all your wits when it's someone you love. As frustrating as you can be, Maisie, I have to admit I wouldn't have changed any of your choices had it been me in your shoes."

* * *

For all that I had bucked against the thought of becoming a vampire, Rosalie was right. There was truth in what she had said that evening on the pier. I _was_ mad that I hadn't left my fight with Irina as a vampire, instead becoming…whatever I was. All that anger stemmed from fear, though.

Fear of the Volturi's reactions. I had drawn the fight from the beach so no other humans would see. I had lied to my parents and Charlie Swan. I had made sure no one else knew the secret. But would the Volturi see it that way? Alice's visions were all over the place. This was another variable thrown into the mix, and suddenly, it wasn't so easy to predict one way or the other anymore.

That fear weighed heavy on all of us. Except Gunner and Leah, but I was becoming exhausted keeping it from infecting them, too.

Suffice it to say, I was ecstatic to go back to Alaska. Well, in some aspects. I would no longer be under the scrutinous eye of Carlisle and Edward. Jasper was confused and curious too, I knew, but he let me be much more often than those two. It was a relief not to have to continue to tell lies, even if Mom and Dad had fallen for them.

Ava hadn't let me off the hook so easily. She had always been eerily aware for a child, and she had taken up a hobby of watching me with suspicious eyes. In fact, Ava's suspicion was strong enough that Edward actually became worried and actively monitored her thoughts.

"She's cognitively advanced for her age," he told me. As if I hadn't known. Me and Gunner had already decided long ago if any of us three were going to be an evil genius, it would be Ava. "Ava watches you. She knows something is different, but she doesn't know what."

I would have to work on being more convincing with Ava next time I saw her.

In Alaska, we were much closer to Tanya. I had no idea where Kate was, if she and Garrett had returned from their travels. Neither of the remaining Denali sisters knew of their sister's death. Carlisle insisted he would handle breaking the news, and delivering the note Sam had saved for us.

_"No need for more pressure on the two of you,"_ he had said, Esme nodding along beside him. I think both me and Jasper were all too happy to agree.

I was happy to be back in Alaska, but I thought my guilt might consume me. Especially in that first week, before the fall semester started up. Our first night back in our house, I sat on our bed with my knees pulled to my chest, wearing one of Jasper's t-shirts.

South America was getting the same paint treatment as the American southwest and France. Rio de Janeiro was awash in watercolor red, but I kept glancing over at Italy. There were twenty-five days left before we had to venture over there. Twenty-five days until I met this infamous Volturi. Eventually Jasper caught me staring at the boot-shaped country.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice he had abandoned his painting until he was before me. He crouched in front of me, easing one of the hands clasped around my legs so he could take it in his own. His hair was messy as always, giving him an almost boyish look were it not for his scars. The one through his eyebrow pulled and tightened across his temple as his brow drew together.

"Maisie." I knew what was coming just from the way he had said my name. It was a mantra, of sorts. Jasper pulled it out every time I was overcome by anxiousness or guilt. "Irina's death wasn't your fault."

"…I know." It was still hard for me to admit, even with how often we went through this script.

"You did the right thing by stopping her. You protected the secret." I only nodded that time, already feeling my throat constrict and the tears prick at my eyes. He wiped face dry when the tears started to fall, wicking them away with his sleeve. Sometimes Jasper was able to get to the spiel about how the Volturi wouldn't hold Irina's death against me, but most of the time I dissolved into tears by this point.

I didn't fight with Jasper when he gently pulled me from the bed and into his lap. My tears soaked through his sweater where my head rested on his shoulder. Jasper stroked my hair and gently kissed my forehead, but he didn't offer anymore pacifying words. Nor did he manipulate my mood, but that was at my request. I had asked him not to, because I was of the opinion I had to feel all of this without it being dulled. I needed to.

Instead, he simply rode the waves out with me.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, I did just upload three chapters back to back. On purpose.

I wanted them all out at once so that a). the aftermath of the Maisie v. Irina fight could be read and full and b). so we can advance to Volturi things. Because that's what I've been looking forward to since I started planning and writing this sequel.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

I could see now why anonymity was so appealing to the Cullens. There were familiar faces at Alaska Pacific University, sure. People I recognized from my classes last year. Old group project partners, acquaintances. My coworkers at the campus library. None of these people knew about my life in Forks, though. I could sit beside them in class, pass them by in the library stacks while I shelved books, grab lunch with them on campus, and no one was the wiser.

No one knew I had fought vampires. No one knew Jasper was a vampire. No one knew I was something not-quite-human.

Honestly, in that lapse between the summer's events and the Volturi summons, it was downright _freeing._

* * *

Well, freeing for the most part. There was an additional hurdle that came with returning to Alaska. True to his word, Carlisle and Esme had graciously been the ones to break the news of Irina's death to her sisters.

So was it really any wonder that I ran into Kate on campus one day?

She was alone, not accompanied by Garrett as she so often was after meeting him. Kate was lovely and striking in her green winter coat, standing out among the college students in their puffy parka jackets. I locked eyes with her across a swathe of lawn, stilling on the sidewalk in front of the science building. I had just left a zoology class.

When our eyes met, Kate raised a white mitten-clad hand in greeting. I felt my breath catch in my chest.

Surely, if she were angry and meant to kill me, she would not have come to campus where there were so many witnesses. Students milled all around us. Rather than head across campus to my next class—advanced Spanish; I was taking advantage of Jasper being my live-in tutor for foreign language credits—I found my feet carrying me off the sidewalk and across the lawn instead.

"Kate," her name slipped from my mouth, materializing before me in a haze in the cold air. She actually smiled as I drew nearer, reaching out for me. I let her take my hands and give them a squeeze, noting how her smile did little to brighten the dark sadness in her eyes.

"You don't look much worse for wear," she said, her pretty, light voice unusually tight and choked. "But I always knew you were a tough one."

I felt it, then, the dull electric current running across her skin. It was easy to miss beneath her gloves, but she was holding my hands tight enough I could feel it through the thick fabric. With a tug, she pulled me in for a proper hug.

"I'm sorry if I shock you," she murmured against my hair. "It's harder to control when I'm upset. Garrett hates it, but what can you do?"

A sob ripped from my throat before I could stop it, but thankfully it was muffled by Kate's coat. She was quick to lead us away from the students milling around, pulling me along with her to a little garden alcove next to the campus library. It was out of the way, and provided us with the only privacy we were likely to find quickly, even with the garden bare with the oncoming winter.

"Kate," I said again, this time no louder than a whisper. "Kate, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" She asked. "Defending your family? Or that innocent human girl? You weren't the one to kill my sister, I'm told. Carlisle said that guilt lays with the wolf pack, though how can they be blamed, either? We all three are—were¬¬—very aware of the treaty between the Cullens and Quileute. Until recently, we followed it to the letter just the same as our cousins."

When she inhaled, her breath was shaky. I could hear it rattling in her chest. "Tanya will want to disagree with me, but this whole terrible ordeal was Irina's doing. It's a terrible condition of our kind, honestly."

"What do you mean?" I asked. Kate twirled a blackened vine around her finger, a sad smile playing at her lips.

"We are so good at pretending to be human, don't you think? But there's quite an animalistic streak in us. Like a bloodhound set on a scent, our habit of seeking vengeance can be overwhelming. As far as I'm concerned, Irina as I knew her died the day she gave herself to that vengeance. The person the Quileute wolves ripped apart that night was only a husk of who Irina used to be."

Her sad smile widened, shaking across her lips. "I've made Garrett promise never to behave that way should anything happen to me."

When I took her hand again, it became obvious that her shoulders were shaking, too. Silent tears and dry cheeks.

It wasn't often that I was reminded so obviously that vampires could not cry.

* * *

Kate and Garrett stayed with us a few days. Over a weekend, it was almost like a regular family visit. The ice was not so thick yet out on the water that we were able to kayak all together on an overcast Saturday. Jasmine proved herself adept at this, too. I mused, sometimes, that she was destined to be a mermaid rather than a vampire. She sluiced her and Edward's kayak through the water with such ease that the rest of us looked clumsy and cumbersome by comparison.

In all that time Kate and Garrett visited in Alaska, we didn't hear a word from Tanya. She wasn't so far off from us, but Kate said we shouldn't expect much—if anything—from her.

She had not, after all, taken the news of Irina's death 'like a champ' as Garrett attested that Kate had.

* * *

Jasper's stack of books hit the table, making my glass of water shake. We had learned I still needed to drink water, too. A diet of blood and only the food I wanted to eat had nearly left me dehydrated after two weeks of neglecting all other sustenance.

"What're you doing?" I asked, not looking up from my computer. I was in the middle of typing out a discussion board for class. Jasper never read his textbooks, so I knew that wasn't what he had so unceremoniously dropped on the table.

"_We_ are writing an account documenting everything we know about your condition." I took a sip of water, peeking at Jasper over the top of my laptop screen.

"Bossy."

Jasper smirked at my taunt, lifting his golden gaze to mine. He quirked an eyebrow. "Never."

I always knew Jasper was ridiculously handsome, but my new sight made it even more obvious. It was something I had to get used to all over again, and sometimes—like just then—it made me blush like I had when we were in high school.

He would not have interrupted my work with his side project, I knew. Jasper had set his leather-bound journal, shockingly modern next to that centuries old Latin book we had been using as a learner's manual on my not-quite-vampirism, across the table from me. But my blush must have inspired him otherwise, because he crossed to my side of the table.

Jasper cupped my jaw in his hand when I looked up at him, bending to kiss me. In my opinion, he had become entirely too gentle with me. His kiss was soft and fleeting. I tried not to let the annoyance show on my face and squashed it as soon as it began to rise in me. It wasn't like I could blame Jasper. I was prone to dissolving into tears, though I was getting a little better about that. Emotionally, I was a wreck, despite the physical strength I had come to know from my repeated doses of vampire venom.

I flew through the rest of my discussion board post so that we could get on with whatever it was, exactly, that Jasper wanted to document. While I typed, Jasper penned a blank timeline of sorts in his elegant, curling handwriting.

"You were ten, right?" he asked, head dipped over his work so that errant waves of blonde hair fell into his eyes. "The first time…"

It took me a second to realize he was prompting me I was so fixated on watching him. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I was ten. This scar on my cheek, remember?"

"I do." That smirk again as he reached over to playfully poke at the scar I had pointed to.

"How lucky for you that your science experiment is also your girlfriend. Makes for easy data collection, huh?"

"Mmm. 'Girlfriend' is a terribly basic term, don't you think, _amor de mi vida?_"

_This_ was why I considered that time between leaving Forks and leaving for Voltaire as freeing. I realized, as those words slipped so easily from Jasper's lips, that I hadn't seen this side of him—the teasing, flirting he could lapse into with such ease despite his serious nature—since…well, since before Maria, honestly.

The realization hit me hard as I watched Jasper's hand fly across the page. He was so consumed in his work that he took no notice. I folded my arms atop the table and rested my chin there, letting myself enjoy watching him. He worried the corner of his lower lip between his teeth as he pieced together points on the timeline. Only occasionally did he call on me for information.

"Did I miss anything?" He asked several minutes later, when his scrawling had petered out. I read over his timeline. It was pristine in its accuracy, save for one thing, though it was no fault of Jasper's that he had missed it.

I had been having a hard time admitting it even to myself. When I reflected on my fight with Irina—which was daily—there was one part I always glossed over more than the others. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks.

"Um," I didn't want to say it. the words felt like barbs in my throat, trying to lodge themselves there and maintain their secrecy. "There's one thing?"

"Oh?" Jasper asked, obviously cued into the discomfort I was feeling. I had ducked my head in my shame, but I peeked up at him now.

"I…Carlisle doesn't know. I didn't tell him. And I made sure not to think about it while Edward was around." He looked so expectant, brows furrowing together in his own worry.

"I, um…during the fight, I told Bella to cut her hand so Irina would follow us into the forest. Her eyes were dark, so I knew she would be thirsty, and Edward had such a hard time with her scent, remember? So I knew Bella's blood would be too much for Irina to ignore, if she cut herself. Bella did it, and she didn't even argue with me all that much like Gunner would've if I didn't send him off, but when she cut her hand…"

I trailed off, unable to make myself say it. The gears were turning in Jasper's head, though, as he processed my rambling. In a matter of seconds his face went from confused to eyes wide and his lips falling open in his realization.

"You could smell Bella's blood." His tone kept it from being a question, despite his phrasing, but I nodded in confirmation anyway. "But…how did you resist?"

"I don't know, I just did what you do." His surprise colored his face further. I don't think I had ever seen him so shocked, and it might have been funny in a different context. "You know, when you get overwhelmed and you cover the scent. You'll scratch at your nose or get closer to me or sometimes in stores you pick up candles to smell. I just did that. I covered my nose with my hair and it helped me take my mind off it."

Jasper pulled his mouth shut, his teeth clicking together, and blinked at me. I could no longer read the expression on his face, and for once, he kept whatever he was feeling to himself instead of sharing it with me. All I felt was my own—the residual shame of Bella's blood calling to me and the growing concern over the unreadable cast Jasper's features had taken on.

"You just did what I do," he parroted back to me. Again, it wasn't a question, his voice thick around the words.

I answered him anyway, giving a shrug to try to make the moment a little less serious. It didn't work. "Yeah, I did."

At that his eyes became suffused with a sadness that darkened their pale golden hue. Cupping my face in his hands, Jasper angled my head ever so gently upward to press a kiss to my forehead.

* * *

We had a weekend routine. On Friday and Saturday nights, when I had no classes to be up early for the next day, we would sit on the roof and look at the stars. I had to bundle up in layers, a beanie pulled low over my ears and thick gloves on my hands. Unlike Esme and Emmett, Jasper was unbothered by the cold. He wore a jacket on the off-chance someone other than Edward and Jasmine—our closest neighbors—might see us up on the roof.

A few of my many blankets cushioned our backs against the roof tiles. It was surprisingly cozy and the light pollution was so low in Alaska that the night sky was amazing and breath taking. We spent our weekend nights, for the most part, trying to catch sight of stray falling stars and talking. The atmosphere was cozy, but the talks were usually heavy.

"You wouldn't be in this predicament if it weren't for me," Jasper lamented on one of those evenings. He was laying flat on his back, one arm bent behind his head, the other wrapped around my waist. Our legs were tangled together, and my head rested on his chest.

"Yeah, these bangs you helped me cut have been hell to grow out."

"Maisie." His voice was soft in it's chiding, but obviously not amused with my attempt to make a joke.

"Jasper." I couldn't help but mimic him. "If it weren't for you, if you were totally removed from the equation of my life, I would be dead."

Though I couldn't see his face, I could feel his disbelief. We had gotten over our needs for privacy following the fight with Irina and once again Jasper's telepathic gift went largely unchecked between us, allowing his emotions to bleed into mine and vice versa. I disentangled myself so I could sit up and look at him. Jasper tried to follow suit, but I splayed a hand on his chest. It wasn't often that I used any of my enhanced strength, but I did now.

I wanted him to _listen_. And on of the best ways to get Jasper Whitlock Hale to listen to you is to remind him of your strength.

"Let's play hypotheticals and say your family _didn't_ move back to Forks my sophomore year, okay? Y'all went to Canada or something instead. That wouldn't have stopped James, Laurent, and Victoria from travelling through Forks, would it? Or stop James from taking an interest in me, a little ol' human girl who didn't quite smell so human, huh? Now, tell me, Mr. Major Whitlock, would I have stood a chance against_ three_ nomad vampires with nothing but that shotgun to defend myself?"

He pursed his lips below me, eyes narrowing into a glare that held no true weight. I still had my hand flat against his chest as he looked up at me. Those golden eyes of his flickered to my hand. I caught the barest hint of a smirk before Jasper's fingers curled around my wrist. In one dizzying motion, he flipped me so that our positions were switched. Now I was the one cushioned in the blankets on our roof, with Jasper gloating above me.

The moon was just behind his head, painting all his gold features in tones of silver. It was my turn to glare at him, but that glare only lasted half a second. He dipped his head, pressing a kiss against the pulse in my neck, making my breath hitch.

"No," he murmured against my skin. "I'm sorry to say you wouldn't have stood a chance, _mi amor._"

I wiggled beneath him, trying to regain the grip on our conversation. "Show off. But you proved my point, not yours. Tell me, then, would you rather me be three years dead or here on this roof in Alaska with you?"

"When you phrase it that way, the choice is obvious. You, however, left out quite a few details, didn't you?" My beanie had been knocked off in our playing. Jasper smoothed my mussed hair while I pouted.

"I would have been dosed with venom whether I ever met you or not," I argued.

"You would have been dosed _once_," Jasper countered. "And we know that one miniscule dose wouldn't have affected your health or quality of life."

"And," I continued, as if he had never spoken, "I would have drank Gunner's blood in any instance. There's not a version of reality where I wouldn't have saved him."

"Perhaps if we had dissuaded the wolves from killing Laurent…"

"Do you really think Sam would let Carlisle tell him what to do? Because I sure don't."

We argued in circles this way, even when I began to yawn and Jasper insisted we go inside so I could go to bed.

"And anyway," I kept arguing even while brushing my teeth, "I'm much better now for whatever reason! Apparently what I needed was more venom, not just a blood diet."

Jasper was sorting laundry in our bedroom, so I couldn't see him, but when I tell you I could _feel_ that eye roll he must have given…I spit my toothpaste out and poked my head around the corner. "You're amazingly skilled at having attitude even when you're not saying anything."

"I learned that from Rosalie." He tossed a pair of jeans into the laundry basket. Having a boyfriend who stayed up all night every night was a huge plus—household chores were infinitely more manageable with Jasper's nonexistent sleep schedule.

Interrupting his laundry sorting, I hugged myself to Jasper and tilted my head back. "She's a role model to us all, honestly."

"I think Edward might disagree with you there. You are aware it's passed two in the morning?" I pursed my lips, considering that for a second.

"Oh, well. It's Saturday." Jasper chuckled softly. He lifted me, then, settling me so that I had my legs wrapped around his waist. I had the high ground now, taller than him in this position, and I used it to kiss him before he could admonish me some more.

Jasper, as always, was wise to my efforts. I could tell from his rueful smile when we broke apart, though he made no further attempts to continue our circular arguing from earlier.

"Talk only does so much good," Jasper murmured, carrying me over to the bed. "And we'll have our action soon enough."

* * *

As with most things, Jasper was right about that.

Alice's visions were accurate enough to pinpoint the date that the Volturi summons would arrive. On September 30th, there it was in our mailbox, just as Alice had seen.

The summons came on thick, creamy paper that felt heavy in my hand. Someone had etched my name on the front—my _full_ name. _Maisie Lynn Thompson_ written in a hand that reminded me of historical documents from centuries ago.

It was snowing, as always, big, fat, wet flakes since it was only September and not yet cold enough for the drier snow. I tucked the summons into my jacket, fearful that the snowflakes would smudge the ink should they fall on that creamy paper.

I only made it so far as the doorway. As soon as the door shut behind me, I slid down it, my slowed heartbeat now pounding in my chest. Jasper, damn him, was off hunting with Edward and Jasmine, and I couldn't wait for him to get back. Instead, sitting with my back to the door, I pulled the summons back out of my jacket now that it was safe from the snowfall.

Turning it in my hands, I realized it was sealed with wax on the back. The wax was the deepest shade of red, bordering on black, and stamped with a seal of an intricate letter V. I slipped my nail beneath it to break the seal, unfolding the creamy paper. Unfolded, it made a perfect square of parchment, with the same looping, swirling handwriting in the middle.

_Dearest Maisie,_

_Tales of your adventurous nature have reached our collective ears here in Voltaire. Excuse us for being so forward, but we would be honored to make your acquaintance._

_Your presence is required on October 10th. Dress appropriately._

There were no signatures.

I was not _invited._ I was _required_. What a classy way to say 'show up on this date or you're dead'.

But… 'dress appropriately'. What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?

* * *

**A/N: **A little montage to get us through some time before the meeting with the Volturi. We'll revisit Tanya at a later date, but I've always considered her the 2nd most vengeful of the Denali sisters. Besides, she doesn't have the friendship with Maisie that Kate does.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five: Gunner

**-GUNNER-**

* * *

Was it terrible of me to be relieved to move to Seattle? To be away from Forks? A place where two vampires—Carlisle and Esme—still remained, and a whole pack of werewolves?

A place where I had been in two fights with vampires. A place where my older sister had nearly died multiple times.

Seattle was not so very far from Forks, but it was far enough for a fresh start away from the craziness that had infected the tail end of my high school career.

Though I did take one of those werewolves with me, at least for the weekends.

* * *

"Hey, man, it's Thursday." Derrick chucked the controller to me as I walked in the door. On Thursdays, after my last class, Maisie would get online and we would play video games together. It was almost like how we used to play in high school, but now Maisie couldn't kick me off the couch if she lost.

"It's really cool how you can keep up with calendars but can't find a date of your own." That time Derrick chucked his empty soda can. I caught it before it could ricochet off my face.

"You're so damn funny," Derrick grumbled. I couldn't help it. Every weekend, just about, he conned me and Leah into going to some house party or another with him. And every weekend, he tried to bag some girl or another. And every weekend, he failed.

Derrick stayed in the living room of our apartment while I logged on, pulling some history homework out of his bag. I didn't care that he was there, but it meant that me and Maisie would have to talk in codes again. Sometimes Derrick went to the library or to the gym and we could say whatever we wanted. That Thursday would not be so.

_"Hey, Gunner,"_ my sister's voice came over the headset. Derrick didn't like to be excluded in conversation, I knew that. I switched the audio so he could hear, too. "Derrick there?"

"Yeah," Derrick answered for me. "How's Alaska, Maisie?"

"Cold, as always. How's Seattle?"

"Raining," we said at the same time, making Maisie laugh.

"Did you and Jasper get that, uh, weekend trip planned out?" _Did you get your plane tickets for Italy?_

"Yeah," Maisie was taking her time running through _Mortal Kombat_ characters like she wasn't going to pick Sonya Blade. She always picked characters that looked like her when she could. That's why she always played_ Mario Kart_ as Princess Peach. "We're leaving on a Friday. October 9th."

"And coming back that Sunday?" _I hoped like hell._

"That's the plan."

But would it work out that way? Alice's visions had varied wildly on the subject. Because Derrick was with us, we lapsed into our rounds with no other mention of the trip. Only jabs left our lips, and the occasional commentary from Derrick.

When we got off hours later and I was holed up in my room doing my own homework, I could hardly focus. I was sure Maisie was having the same thoughts, but that did nothing to soothe my racing mind. Even if Maisie did come back from Italy alive, would she still be human? Or would she be a vampire?

And if she did come back a vampire… I wasn't ready for that. We had a whole cover story, of course.

Should things go well ('well' meaning that Maisie came back with her humanity in tact) in Italy, this little 'weekend trip to Canada' would simply end with Maisie and Jasper becoming engaged (like they weren't practically married as is already, the way they mooned over each other). Solidifying an engagement was Step One of the easier to pull of the Maisie Disappearance Plan. This plan came about to account for Maisie's eventual turn to a vampire, because there was no way _not_ to avoid that.

Everyone had accepted this except for Maisie at this point.

Step Two of the Maisie Disappearance Plan involved marrying Jasper. Step Three was going on honeymoon somewhere overseas. Step Four was neither Maisie nor Jasper returning from said honeymoon.

However, if Maisie was forced to turn while in Italy… well, then, we just had to cut out Steps One through Three and jump straight to Step Four with a small edit: Maisie and Jasper never return from Canada.

The Maisie Disappearance Plan A was made with the possibly stupid hope that Maisie would be able to give some form of closure and get a final goodbye before faking her death. Either of the plans were going to be traumatic for our parents and Ava, but I could see where Maisie was coming from.

I would be lying if I didn't say that I was hoping like hell for Plan A myself.

* * *

Leah stayed with me just about every weekend, making the drive from Forks to Seattle on Friday afternoons and heading back on Monday mornings. That is, when I wasn't doing the opposite. She took weekday patrol duty with the pack to swing it, which worked out pretty well considering most of the wolf pack members were still in high school. I guess I was kind of lucky that Maisie had to face the Volturi over the weekend, because it meant Leah could be there with me.

"Have they landed yet?" Leah asked. Maisie had promised that she would text as soon as they were in Italy.

"She hasn't said." I had only been checking my phone every other minute, not wanting to miss Maisie's text. Leah sighed next to me. We were lying in bed, but I wouldn't say either of us were getting any rest.

Derrick's jealousy had shown earlier that day when I told him me and Leah were going to have a weekend in and wouldn't be going to parties with him. As far as he was concerned, Leah and I were having crazy sex while we 'abandoned him'. He couldn't be farther than the truth.

It was true that we were wearing minimal clothing—only our underwear, honestly—but that had so little to do with intimacy at the moment. Leah simply ran too hot for clothes or blankets if we were cuddled up, and I had clothes next to my bed because I had promised Derrick we would interrupt all the wild sex he was sure we were having to pick him up later if he needed us to.

Leah sighed, her breath nearly as hot as her skin when it washed over my neck. "I hate waiting."

"Yeah," I agreed, running my fingers through her short hair. I was sure Leah could feel how tense I was despite the soothing warmth of her bare skin on mine. Usually Leah's heat and the weight of her against me were comforting things, but that day it wasn't enough. I hated the idea of shirking her off just as much, though, so instead I pulled her closer. "Do you… do you think you could just, like, talk to me? To pass some time?"

"About anything particular?"

"No, just whatever. Just so it's not quiet."

"Well…how much of a distraction do you want?" I angled my head down so I could try to see her expression, but her face was hidden in the crook of my neck.

"Um, the biggest one."

"Okay… I'm thinking about leaving the pack."

Now _that_ I hadn't expected. I sat up beneath her, bringing Leah up with me in my shock. "No way! Why?"

It was dim in my room, only the light of the fading sunset coming in through the window. That sunlight burnished Leah's skin bronze in slats where it fell across her. One side of her hair was messy where she had been laying against me. She gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"I don't think I've ever made it a secret that it's not my favorite thing."

She had me there, but still… "What about Seth?"

"Seth is the only reason I've been in as long as I have. He loves it and always has. Everything has calmed down from when Maria and her newborns were in town. Most of the Cullens have moved off, it's just Carlisle and Esme in Forks most of the time. The vampire activity is way down and—" I cut her off there, cupping her cheek in my hand.

"Hey, you don't have to justify it. Not to me." Her face heated further under my palm, a blush burning her cheeks.

"I know," she grumbled, looking away. "But that's what I'm going to tell Sam. All of that. Not the _real_ reason."

Oh. Maisie.

"He's still stuck on the Cullens upholding the treaty, even in this case, huh?" I knew Sam. I knew he wouldn't make the concession. Still, it made my chest feel simultaneously heavy and hollow to watch Leah nod. All Maisie had asked for in any of this was for Jasper to be the one to turn her.

But just because Sam had put his foot down did not mean my stubborn, impulsive sister would listen.

"You don't have to do this for her, you know." I meant it. I loved my sister, but so much of my life for the past three years had been shaped by her antics. There was no reason for Leah's to be the same. Leah dropped her gaze, teeth worrying over her bottom lip.

"I want to," she insisted. "Maisie has been my family in a way the pack never has been. Never _will_ be, except for Seth."

Her exclusion of Sam was obvious. The hurt still ran deep there, neglecting the marital relation he would have to Leah once he and Emily were married. The hurt was reflected in the slight shake of her hands, of the breath she gulped down before continuing.

"If there's anything I've learned from life so far—from everything with Sam and Emily, losing my dad, phasing, the wolf pack, Maisie—is how important choice is. We don't get to choose so much of our lives, so when the opportunity rises to make a choice, you have to take it. Or make the opportunity yourself." She smiled here, both sad and rueful. "I doubt Sam would ever extend this option for me willingly, but that doesn't mean I won't take it. The plain fact is that I choose _you_, Gunner, and I know you well enough to know that choosing you means choosing Maisie, too."

When she laid it bare like that…I was surprised by the prick of tears behind my eyes. There are things that no one wants to admit to themselves, and one of mine had been the possibility of a brawl between the Quileute wolves and the Cullens. My sister, who I had spent all eighteen years of my life with, and Leah, the girl I would spend the rest of my life with, pitted against each other.

"Well, damn," Leah began to tease, running her thumb below my eye when a tear fell over. "I didn't mean to make you—"

_Cry_, she would have said. Hopefully she could taste the relief when I pulled her to me, sealing that word on her lips with mine. My phone screen illuminated the gathering dark of my room, but whether it was Maisie or Derrick I couldn't say. We both ignored it, wrapped up in each other as we were.

What a stroke of luck, that we were already wearing such little clothing.

* * *

I would not have survived a weekend of waiting without Leah, I am certain of that. After Maisie's initial notification that she had landed in Italy with Jasper, there was radio silence from her end. I expected that for Saturday, but when it slid into Sunday evening, I was starting to get antsy.

Derrick was sprawled on the couch in the living room. Considering neither of us owned more furniture than our bedroom stuff, we were lucky these off-campus apartments were otherwise furnished. I was not about to lose our security deposit because Derrick barfed all over that lumpy gray couch during his lingering hangover.

Even though I was kind of pissed off at him, he was a good distraction, too. "You know what's fun? Taking a shower. Let's put you in there, big guy."

"No," Derrick protested, his voice all but swallowed by couch cushions.

"Yes. It'll help your headache. Plus it will pass time 'til Leah's done cooking." She was making dinner for all of us, but the tacos were a specific request from Derrick. Hopefully he would be able to keep it down.

I lifted him off the couch, slinging his arm around my shoulder even while he complained. Getting him to the bathroom involved dragging him. It was a good thing he was about the same size as me, not some hulking mass of a guy like Emmett. I tried to sit him up on the closed toilet lid when we got in there, but Derrick let his weight slump until he was angled against the wall. Rolling my eyes, I turned the shower on.

"Can I trust you to put yourself in the shower, or should I toss you in fully dressed?"

Derrick groaned dramatically but managed to peel himself off the wall. "I'll do it."

I left him to it…so far as the other side of the bathroom door, listening for the rattle of the shower curtain before walking off. Shaking my head, I went into the kitchen, hauling myself onto the counter and watching Leah cook.

"How are you holding up?" She asked, shaking some garlic powder into the taco meat.

"Eh," I tried to sound nonchalant, "I haven't heard from Maisie in what would be a worrying amount of time, if my sister didn't make a habit of facing murderous vampires."

"Well, when you put it that way…" Leah could see right through me, I knew. Without Derrick to distract me, I started methodically popping my knuckles. I was on the sixth one before Leah threatened to hit me with the spatula she had been using to brown the meat. Leah hated when I popped my fingers, but I couldn't help it. I almost laughed as she shivered dramatically. She opened her mouth, to chew me out, I was sure, but the tinny sound of my phone ringing interrupted her.

I jumped off the counter, hauling it to my room where I had left my phone. I didn't even look at the name lighting up the screen before swiping to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Gun," came the quiet, hoarse voice from the other end of the line. My breath rattled beneath my ribs when I sighed in relief, running a hand through my hair.

My voice didn't sound any better than hers when I finally managed to force it from my throat.

"Hey, Maise."


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

The first thing I learned about the Volturi was that they were dramatic, as I felt was only befitting of ancient vampire rulers. 'Dress appropriately', my summons had said. Jasper had rolled his eyes at that but hadn't initially elaborated. He didn't need to. The day after the summons came in the mail, a package arrived.

It was wrapped in tan butcher paper and tied with twine, not the typical cardboard box or plastic bag that usually served as shipping fare. I pondered vaguely how much money the Volturi had to be paying shipping and customs fees to mail from Italy to Alaska, but I was more interested in the contents of the butcher paper.

I bit through the twine, unfurling the paper as I carried the package into the living room. Soft white fabric greeted me on the inside. "What is this?"

Unfurled, the masses of white fabric revealed themselves to be monochromatic outfits. A plain dress, a button-down shirt, pants. All white.

"Trial clothes," Jasper answered without looking up from his writings. Adding carefully recalled details to that initial timeline we had made. "Innocent until proven guilty."

"…Oh. And, um, how do you know that for sure?"

Now he lifted his head, meeting my eye with a measured gaze. "The last time we paid a visit to the Volturi, we bore witness to a trial. The accused wear their white clothes to signify the benefit of the doubt the Volturi graciously extend before evidence is provided. If that evidence should prove sufficiently damning, the white clothing is ceremoniously covered by a red robe, marking the accused with conviction and death. Only the Volturi and their guards may wear shades of gray and black in their own robes."

The twist of his mouth was almost wry. Almost. "On St. Marcus' Day, the whole city of Volterra wears red robes to celebrate St. Marcus driving all the vampires out of the city. An ancient holiday…for humans and the Volturi alike. It's a feast day all around."

Jasper didn't need to say more than that for me to understand that the Volturi feasted on the humans celebrating the expulsion of vampires. How cruelly ironic.

"Won't we be kind of suspicious wearing all-white clothing through the city?"

"We won't travel straight through Volterra. We'll travel through the catacombs."

_Catacombs?_ I knew that the underground burial sites existed to this day beneath many European countries. It had never occurred to me until just then, though, that all the cases of explorers never returning from catacombs could have a vampiric explanation.

Jasper caught on to the astonishment in my expression. "There's no hunting allowed in Volterra, save for St. Marcus' Day, and even then, only foreigners. Rules for the catacombs are much the same. The Volturi keep very accurate accounts of the human residents of Volterra. They are never harmed. Honestly, Volterra is the safest town on this Earth—at least in terms of vampire attacks."

It was the most I had learned about the Volturi so far, an in such a small breadth of time. I nodded hollowly at Jasper, running the soft fabric of the dress between my fingers. The more he had spoken, the heavier the pit in my stomach grew. I raised my hand, waving away whatever words were going to come out of Jasper's mouth next. "I better go pack our…trial clothes, before we forget."

In addition to the clothing, we also received train ticket vouchers for the Pisa Centrale railway station and reservation documents for the Hotel Molina D'Era in Volterra itself. The Volturi, it was becoming increasingly clear, loved their control.

* * *

I didn't get to see Gunner or Leah before we left. There was only a phone call, though me and Gunner sat silently on opposite sides of the line for most of the call. We listened to each other breathe after our greetings, both of us at a loss for what to say in this case.

"Maisie," Gunner finally said, after a considerable stretch of silence. "Try really hard not to do anything stupid, okay?"

A nearly hysterical laugh slipped through my lips. "I do kinda have a tendency to make stupid choices, huh?"

My brother's snort, incredulous that I wouldn't acknowledge my full idiocy in the past, I'm sure. "I could think of a few examples."

"At least I know better than to run from danger in a straight line." When Maria had made a break for him that night in our yard, Gunner's escape path rain arrow straight.

"Serpentine. That's easy to remember. Will it be so easy for you to remember to keep your mouth shut?"

But our jests soon faltered and we lapsed back into that companionable quiet, our breathe the only sound. I liked to think that even though we weren't saying anything, Gunner could feel the way my heart twisted in my chest at the thought of leaving him forever. While I listened to his breathing, I looked down at my arm, where my half of our matching tattoos would mark me forever. I traced the moon with my finger.

"Maisie?" Gunner said again, this time his voice lifting with question and uncertainty. It was the same voice he used to use when we were five and four, when he was convinced there were ghosts in his bedroom. The voice he used, all those years ago, to ask me to make pillow and blanket piles on the floor of my own bedroom so we could sleep in that nest of bedding.

"Yeah, Gun?"

Now his voice was thick, no longer the little boy. "You know I love you?"

My own throat tightened at his words, so that I had to work to force the words up and out of my mouth.

"I know, Gun. I love you, too."

* * *

Seeing Jasper's side of our family was a totally different affair. Carlisle and Esme came to Alaska for the weekend, under the pretense of house sitting for us and visiting Edward and Jasmine while we were gone. Alice made her way back from her travels—through the Asian continent, this semester—and Rosalie and Emmett came from New York, too.

Having all of them there the night before our plane ride made it just a tiny bit easier. Rosalie sat on the couch, with me on the floor bracketed by her legs, practiced fingers creating intricate braids in my hair. She had done the same after the fight with Maria, and I wondered vaguely if the braiding was a comfort thing her human mother used to do for her.

Thinking about Rosalie's mother made me think of my own, though. Which led me to Dad, which led to Ava…I had to push those thoughts aside before they could tear me at my seams. Instead, I made myself focus on Alice and Edward, enthralled in their game of poker. Emmett had taken bets on Edward, while Jasper had gone with Alice.

We all liked to watch Edward and Alice play games, because only they knew the extent of the stakes. Edward could see Alice's hand through her mind, of course, and Alice could see Edward's next moves through her visions—which Edward could also see. The majority of their matches took place in hypotheticals, with so little talking and movement that we all sat in rapt silence for any hint of an outcome.

This outcome came in the form of Edward blowing his breath and letting the cards flutter from his fingertips across Alice's face. She smiled brightly, batting the wayward cards and laying down her own winning hand. Emmett gave a dramatic groan, letting his whole weight slip from his chair to land heavily on the floor.

That heavy _thump_ of Emmett's weight hitting the floor startled me, making me jump and my eyelids shoot open. I hadn't realized until that moment that I was starting to drift off. Rosalie's fingers stilled in my hair, a soothing, quiet _shhh_ escaping her lips.

"Stop that," Jasper chided him, holding out his hand for the money Emmett now owed him. "It's a long way from your heart, brother."

There was a smile on his face, bless him. It had been so long since I had seen a genuine smile on Jasper's face. Jasper picked up the abandoned cards, shuffling them in a blur between his big hands.

"C'mon, Jasmine, let's give Emmett another round to bet on. Maybe this time he'll have a chance in hell of winning."

Our evening past deceptively cozy. I was incredibly sleepy, obviously, between the roaring fire that Carlisle tended in our fireplace and Rosalie's fingers in my hair. Anyone on the outside looking in would have simply seen a family gathering. My vision kept blurring, my head growing heavy before it would snap back up. And each time, Rosalie shushed me, her voice lilting and soothing as the slow, rhythmic work of her fingers in my hair.

Under the jovial appearance was a deep, pulling strain that I was certain we all felt, though we all ignored it, too.

We were the picture of a perfectly happy family until my head fell heavy against Rosalie's knee, no longer able to fight off the sleep trying to pull me under. Being the only member of the family that still needed sleep definitely had its benefits. I was only vaguely aware of the goodbyes going around, as I had largely lost my battle with my eyelids. Jasper hauled me from the floor to the couch, I know that much, and there were hugs and Esme pushed my bangs aside to kiss me on the forehead, and some snippets of conversation.

_"…she'll be able to behave herself,"_ Rosalie.

_"…perfectly confident…she'll charm Aro, at least."_ Alice.

_"Be safe, honey."_ Esme.

_"…get in a fight without me and Eddy.."_ Emmett.

No one else tried to wake me up either, though. I did catch Jasper saying it was the first time I had fallen asleep on my own in weeks, which was true. Having a mood-altering boyfriend had come in handy with my latest bout of insomnia.

If I was good at nothing else, I was extraordinary at avoiding things I didn't want to face, and I didn't try whatsoever to keep myself awake. Whatever parting words were said to me were wasted, because I wasn't coherent enough to retain them. Alas, I was only vaguely aware at best, and then Jasper carried me upstairs to bed.

* * *

Travelling to Italy was spent mostly in silence. We lucked out in having a direct flight from Anchorage, but the downside of that was that the flight was just over twenty-three hours long. I napped. Jasper pretended to. We spent a few of those hours staring at our little screens, not taking in an ounce of the movie playing.

After those twenty-three some-odd hours, we landed at the Galileo Galilei international airport in Pisa, Tuscany. From the airport, we walked to the Pisa Centrale Station. We were wearing our travelling clothes, which for Jasper had included jeans and a sweater, covering as much of his skin as possible as a precaution. The sun had set far enough that Jasper was in no danger. The last rays of the day were too weak to fracture and shine against his skin, instead just bathing him in golden tones.

In one hand, Jasper easily lifted our singular, shared suitcase. He wrapped his free arm around my shoulders, pulling me close into him. It was all too easy, after three years together, to fall into the rhythm of his steps as we walked. I thread my fingers through his where his hand rested over my shoulder.

We walked through the gathering night. Stretching my legs felt good after sitting on the plane for nearly an entire day. It was balmy outside, but I shivered despite the warmth. I didn't mind at all walking cuddled up with Jasper. Despite the falling dark, I tried to look around as we walked, trying to make out the details of the old buildings around us. Before travelling to meet the Volturi, my only concept of Italy came from _The Lizzie McGuire_ movie.

It was a good distraction, keeping my mind off the fact that the train—once we reached it—would take us straight to the belly of the beast. A lot of the buildings were made up of old bricks, some of them whitewashed. Others were painted shades of blue or yellow or orange, their colors still discernable for me despite the gray tone night brings with it.

I was just deciding that I liked how many windows there were in these buildings when I felt a tug on my shoulders.

"Maisie," Jasper murmured, something close to amusement coloring his voice. "Where are you going, _mi amor?_"

I blinked up at him, realizing I would have continued going straight on my little sightseeing adventure. But to get to the train station, we needed to turn to the left, which I would have missed entirely. I laughed on reflex, and we both had the good grace to ignore the hysterical edge to it. Jasper led me in the correct direction, only disentangling from me long enough to fish our tickets from his pocket.

Our train ride was another two hours of travel. Our car in particular was nearly empty, which was surprising for a Friday night. I was thankful for it regardless, laying my head on Jasper's shoulder much the way I had on the plane.

"You should sleep," he breathed against my hair. "We leave just before dawn."

Ever the vampire overlord gentlemen, the lapse over Friday night had been allowed to give me opportunity to rest before facing my judgment. I had been able to snooze on the plane, but now that we were here on Italian soil, I felt far too on edge to even entertain the thought.

"No," I argued. "_You_ don't get to sleep."

A bark of a laugh. "That's irrelevant."

I rolled my eyes, though he couldn't see. From the side of my eye, I watched Italy blur by us. The anxiety was rising in me like a cresting wave. I clung to Jasper's arm, but I didn't realize my fingers were digging into his skin until he gave a sharp intake of breath. His own fingers slid under mine, loosening the grip. He raised my hand to his lips, gently kissing the fingers that had just hurt him.

"Oh my God," I choked out. "I'm so sorry."

Jasper's forearm was still marred by the imprints of my fingers, though his skin slowly righted and healed itself. I had made Jasper promise not to alter my moods while we were in Italy, no matter how bad it got. I would ride any and all fear and pain out with him, refusing to stick him with the brunt of it while he soothed me.

I forced myself to take a deep, slow breath to calm myself down.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. To my surprise, Jasper smiled at me. My favorite smile. Not the smirk or small grin that usually graced his lips, but the usually hard-won smile that stretched wide and seemed to diffuse his whole face with sunshine.

"Looks like someone doesn't know her own strength." Despite his smile, I could see the cold edge in his golden eyes. The one that always foretold some sort of scheming, plotting, or analysis on Jasper's part. When he got that look in his eyes, Emmett would call him 'Major Whitlock', a callback to Jasper's days in the Confederate army during his human life.

I narrowed my own eyes at him, a warning. _Cut that out._ I had precious little information about the Volturi, but it had been reiterated to me time and again that Aro would be able to view all thoughts and memories either of us had ever had during the trial. The last thing we needed was for Major Whitlock here to be getting any bright ideas that could count against us in just a handful of hours.

Jasper raised his eyebrows in response, affecting a false innocence over his features. I shook my head at him, earning one of his usual smirky-smiles before laying my head back on his shoulder. Despite the soothing motion of the train, I refused to let my eyelids droop. If these were my final hours on earth, with Jasper, I wasn't going to waste a second of it asleep.

* * *

When we got off the train at the station in Volterra, there was a man waiting for us. I would have pegged him for somewhere between his mid-twenties and early-thirties, shorter than Jasper and barrel-chested. He peeled himself away from the other people milling around, catching Jasper's attention immediately.

His red eyes were apparent as soon as the man lifted his head to meet our gaze. He gestured with his head for us to follow him outside. I glanced at Jasper once the man's back was turned, but he only nodded to me. We were led to a nondescript dark car parked on the street outside the station.

We hesitated outside the car for only a moment. Leaving the engine idling as he sat in the driver's seat, it was obvious we were expected to get in. I gave Jasper another incredulous look, but, ever the gentleman, he merely opened the car door for me. The interior was expensive despite the plain exterior; I immediately sunk into plush leather seats as Jasper slid in beside me. The man drove us to Hotel Molino D'Era in silence, not once asking our names nor offering his own. It was only when Jasper was proffering his hand to guide me from the car that he spoke.

"I'm sure you're aware Caius detests tardiness."

His voice, gravelly and deep, startled me so that I jumped. Jasper's fingers curled around mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze. "Of course."

With a final nod, the man pulled the car away from us, leaving us to walk into the accommodations the Volturi had made for us. A plaque beside the door of Hotel Molino D'Era boasted that the establishment had been family-owned for more than a century.

"Who was that?" I whispered to Jasper as we walked through the front door of the hotel.

"A member of the outer guard, likely. The outer guard is…transient. I didn't recognize him."

The lobby met us with a cool gush of air conditioning, chilling the sheen of sweat on my skin. I hadn't realized until that moment how nervous I had been. Jasper kept his solid hold on my hand as we moved forward to the front desk. A woman with thick auburn hair smiled at us from behind the desk, but I was unnerved by her eyes. They were an unnatural shade of green, looking artificial in the contrast against the blush she wore on her cheeks.

"Our honored guests have arrived!" She enthused in lightly accented English, thrusting her hand forward. "I'm Caterina."

When I took her hand in mine, the oddity of Caterina's eyes clicked into place. Her skin was cool and solid beneath mine, smooth as silk and very, very vampiric. The green of her eyes were contacts, surely, to mask the red underneath.

"Maisie." My name slipped out between my lips on reflex, propriety preserving my politeness while my mind spiraled. Jasper had explained that Volterra was a hub of activity for vampires, but was it possible that so many of them were in public and the humans still so unawares?

Caterina continued to smile, personally escorting us to a ground-floor room with a glass door that led onto a private patio. Though it was nighttime, Caterina made a point of extending the tour beyond the quaint room—containing a huge four-poster bed that looked ancient despite it's elegance, clashing with the flat screen TV on the wall—to a garden out back of the hotel.

"This statue is a condensed replica of a Michelangelo piece," I guess she thought we were especially stupid or uncultured, because though the garden was unlit in the nighttime, it was obvious the sculpture was Michelangelo's David. "He guards the catacomb interest, but worry not, he's rather easy to move. I'll be along before sunrise, of course, to move him back before the guests wake and the day staff arrive at Hotel Molino D'Era."

Caterina left us then, in the garden. The replication of David looked towered over me, though she had described it as 'condensed'. I titled my head back to look at the way the moon glinted off David's marble features as a wave of dread washed over me.

"Jasper?" I wasn't entirely sure what I was seeking, just then. I moved toward him, until my back was flush to his chest, his arm wrapping around me.

"I told you, _mi amor_, the Volturi own this city." He kissed the top of my head, holding me in the moonlight. "We are thoroughly entrenched in their territory."

I took a shaky breath and nodded, my head bouncing against his chest with the movement. "I can see that, now."

Again, Jasper attempted to convince me to get some sleep, but I refused. It was after midnight by this point, but I didn't have time to waste with sleeping. Instead, I went in the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face until I no longer felt like sobbing. I took a deep breath and raised my eyes to the mirror, evaluating myself. Memorizing my face as it was.

Bangs no longer too long and overgrown—thanks to Alice, who had insisted on cutting them a few days ago. Dark blue eyes. _Would my eyes look that unnatural with contacts layered over them if I leave this place a vampire? If I leave this place at all._

Maria's scars, one on my cheek and one on my lip. Thin, silvery marks, hardly noticeable if you weren't looking for them. My short, slightly upturned nose, the one I had inherited from Mom. The same that centered both Gunner and Ava's faces as well, that feature marking us physically as siblings. This would be the face I showed to the Volturi in just a handful of hours.

I had worn the last, simple French braid Rosalie had plaited my hair into for traveling. It hung heavy and solid along my back. I grabbed the tail end of the braid, unwinding the hair tie and working my fingers through the strands to free them. The braid left my hair gently waved as it floated around my shoulders.

Carlisle had suggested I remove my jewelry before appearing before the Volturi. _The more unassuming you appear, the better. I started pulling out my earrings from my multiple piercings._ They clinked against the marble countertop that housed the sink. I was reluctant to take off the promise ring and bracelet Jasper had given me what felt like a lifetime ago, but Carlisle had been adamant, so I added them to the pile of jewelry.

Perhaps Caterina would enjoy them if I never returned.

Next, I took off my own travel clothes, which consisted of leggings and one of Jasper's hoodies. I replaced this with the dress that had been mailed to us. It was white as freshly fallen snow, made of an eyelet cotton. Though it was knee length, the dress left me feeling exposed. The cotton was airy, the straps thin and delicate, with a low dip that left much of my back uncovered. No shoes had been sent.

This was not an oversight, Carlisle assured us. We were not expected to wear shoes to the trial. Looking in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door, I looked like I was going to a garden party. If you ignored the buggy quality that my eyes had taken on as my anxiety grew, or the grimace my mouth seemed to be set in.

Jasper looked likewise airy and springy in his white button-down shirt and bleached linen pants. He had left the first three buttons undone and rolled up his sleeves. It was not at all lost on me that this styling of his clothes left a good bulk of his scars exposed. Still, I was struck by his handsomeness and the way his golden features were complimented by the pale color palette.

He reached for me when I left the bathroom, taking me and folding me into his embrace. We stood there holding each other. Whole lifetimes could have passed with my head on his chest, Jasper soothingly running his hand over my hair. Eventually, he pulled away just enough to cup my face in his palm, bringing his mouth to mine.

The kiss was pressing and desperate. I gripped Jasper's shirt in my hands, trying to pull him closer to me. He responded likewise, a hand splayed across my bared back to draw me nearer. Our attempts to consume each other in that kiss was thwarted by Jasper's ever rational mind. He pulled away from me again, his breath heavy when it washed across my face.

"We had best be going," he said reluctantly. "It's still several miles worth of walking through the catacombs."

The grass was lush under my bare feet as Jasper led me through the garden. Caterina was right, of course; Jasper had no problem moving the replica statue. Just beneath the base was a gaping hole in the ground covered by a rusted metal grate that groaned as Jasper opened it.

"Ladies first?" I asked, trying to make a joke, but my voice shook too much. Jasper shook his head before releasing my hand and dropping into the hole feet first.

"I'll catch you," he said from the darkness. Taking a steadying breath, I let myself fall through the hole the same way Jasper had. The descent made my stomach flip, ending in a jarring halt when I slammed into Jasper's waiting arms. He righted me on my feet, taking me again by the hand.

I could see only a few feet in front of us. Even with my enhanced sight, the darkness of the catacombs was too absolute to discern anything. I would be moving blind, with only Jasper to lead me.

"Right on time," a voice came from deeper in the shadows. This voice did not belong to the unnamed man who drove us to the hotel, nor to Caterina. Actually, it sounded like a young voice… a little girl. "My masters will be so pleased."

"Hello, Jane." Jasper greeted into the dark. I recognized the tone of voice: placating, dripping with his honeyed accent. It was the tone he used on most humans. "It's nice to see you again."

If this Jane had any nonverbal reaction to his greeting, I couldn't see it. I did, however, hear a swish of fabric and soft footsteps on the hardpacked earthen floor of the catacomb. "Follow me."

And so we did. We followed this Jane through the dark, cool catacombs while I tried to puzzle out the vampire we were following. She sounded like a child, yet was able to effect such monotonous boredom in her voice that her tone was for all the world like a forty-year-old socialite.

Jane didn't speak to us as she led us. More than once, I tripped over what I hoped desperately were rocks, though I had a sneaking suspicion the hard masses were something else entirely. Each time I tripped, Jasper gripped my hand tighter to keep me from falling.

I wasn't entirely certain, but I thought I heard Jane scuff each time, too. The dark was so absolute for me that my senses were nearly in overdrive trying to compensate. There was a dull roaring in my ears as they strained to catch anything. The musky, earthy scent of the catacombs walls was heavy in my nostrils, so much so that I could nearly taste it. My skin felt electrified, sparking each time my dress brushed against my legs or my feet encountered something other than the cold, soft dirt.

Jasper said we would have miles to walk, and I don't doubt that we did, but the darkness had robbed me of sense of time. It felt like only minutes had passed when we came to a stop. There was another metallic groan, another opening of a grate, it seemed. Jane had led us to another opening in the catacombs, yet there was no increase in light. Jasper began to unwind his fingers to mine, but I panicked and clung to him.

"Maisie," he soothed. "Let go. Reach up, and I'll pull you to me."

I did as he asked, though my heart felt like it was in my throat to have him leave me. Sure enough, though, I felt Jasper's hands close over my wrists and my feet lift from the ground.

There had been no change in the light though Jane had opened the above-ground passage because it was still night outside. We were in an alleyway, it seemed. I could see better here, once my sight adjusted, by the pale light of the moon and stars.

Here I got my first look at Jane. She was just as tiny as Alice, if not a smidge smaller, swathed in a dark cloak that covered her from chin to ground. The face above the cloak was young and devastatingly beautiful, despite her scowling full lips. Her wide eyes gleamed a dull red in the moonlight, beneath hair that was no longer than Jasper's. it was impossible to determine the color, silvered as it was by what light the moon and stars provided.

She waited impatiently, pursing her lips, while I adjusted to being above ground again. I wasn't blind to the way her eyes roamed over me, assessing me.

"You sure she's human? She hardly smells it."

"Human enough," I retorted instantly, making the full lips shift from a scowl to a smirk.

"We're early. You took the travel through the catacombs better than expected. Didn't even lose composure when you tripped over bones."

I felt myself pale at her words, this confirmation of what I had suspected beneath the earth. My reaction brought a close-lipped smile to her face next before she tossed her head. "This way. Nothing makes Caius happier than eagerness, though Aro may be a bit upset we've come so soon."

For the first time I looked at what was around us. This alley was claustrophobically narrow, lined on either side by worn rock walls that seemed to have seen better days despite their whitewashed cleanliness. Jane pulled a long metal key, ancient-looking, from the sleeve of her cloak. I could hear the heavy click of the lock as she opened a solid wooden door, holding it open for us to pass through.

"Welcome to the heart of Volterra."

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all so much for the patience as I update this irregularly all the time! I don't think I could ever commit to an actual posting schedule. Bless all of you for your patience.

This part of the story has been slow coming because I am a stickler for details. A lot of research into Italy and the Volturi has been going on. I hope y'all are enjoying it! And I hope y'all are ready for what is to come!


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

There were no modern lights in the castle. _I think this is a castle, anyway._ The stone tiles were cool under my bare feet.

"I apologize for secreting you through a servant's door," Jane said, though her tone held not one ounce of remorse. "This path is longer than taking the front entrance to get to the great hall. There's no elevator or modern renovations on this side of the castle."

Correction: there were no modern lights _on this side of the castle._ It was dark inside, of course, with only minimal moonlight streaming through the old, murky windows. This moonlight was enough for me to see by, objects swimming into focus in dusky details. Jane led us first through a thoroughly disused kitchen, a sitting room, and into what I thought was a closet.

Rather, when she pushed the door open, it revealed a landing for a flight of stairs. "Watch your step. The stairs are uneven, and we can't have you breaking your neck before your trial, can we?"

"We've come willingly," Jasper said coolly, but the hard glint of his eye foretold his restrained ire. "Committing suicide now wouldn't be productive, would it?"

Jane pouted her full lips, flouncing up the stairs with her cloak streaming behind her. I was thankful for Jasper's grasp on my hand; Jane hadn't exaggerated in her sparse warning. Some steps were angled, others wildly narrower than the step that came before it.

Aside from those barbs, we were silent on the ascent. The stairs seemed to go on forever before we came to another landing and another door, this one much more intricate than the plain wooden doors we had travelled through thus far. These doors were lacquered white, with an inlay of tiled filigree. Jane stepped aside, nodding toward Jasper.

We took a deep breath at the same time, which made a sad kind of smile spread on both of our lips when our eyes met. There was no choice but to move through these massive doors. Jasper and I each grabbed a handle, pulling the doors of our fate open side-by-side.

* * *

I can't imagine what I expected the interior of the Volturi castle to look like. Maybe I had anticipated something more akin to vampire lairs shown in media, a la _Dracula._ What I was _not_ expecting, though, was a blindingly white space that looked like it had been decorated at the height of rococo fashion.

Ceilings soaring high above our heads, huge stained-glass windows inlayed in white marble walls, tile cold under my feet. I was struck that my definition of 'modern' and Jane's must be wildly different; there were no lights in this area of the castle, though everything looked to be in good repair. Silvery light streamed in through the windows, contrasted with the golden glow of the torches lining the walls.

A dais dominated one end of the long, wide hall, upon which sat three tall thrones. They were each equidistance apart, each dominated by a figure cloaked in the deepest of black cloth. We were alone in the hall, aside from these figures; Jane had not followed us in. Between the gloom in the hall, his black cloak, and black hair, I couldn't make out any features of the figure as he descended the steps of the dais and strode forward.

But when he stepped into a shaft of moonlight, facial features thrown into clarity, I realized this man looked nothing like vampires I had met in the past. He was of medium height, but that's not what caught me off guard. Even in the dim light, it was plain to see the translucent quality to the man's skin. Ghostly shadows of veins showed across his face; his eyes were circled by deep, bruise-like smudges. Those eyes themselves were red, but a muted shade, as if aged and faded.

"Maisie!" When he spoke, the thought of cobwebs came to mind. "So kind of you to join us this evening. I apologize for holding this meeting in the dreary night; the castle is a monument and we've not yet finished tourism season in Italy. Come! Jane is fetching the others!"

He turned on his heel, black cloak _swishing_ around his ankles. That introduction—or lack thereof—had taken me by surprise. I glanced up at Jasper as we followed in the man's wake, and he mouthed _Aro_ to me.

So, this was the leader of the Volturi, a mid-height man with translucent skin? His brothers had remained on their thrones, but as we moved forward, I realized the other two were much the same. To Aro's right sat another dark-haired man, his hair much longer and unbound the way Aro's was. On the left sat a man with hair so pale it nearly matched his white skin, red eyes somehow burning in that sea of pallid monotony despite their equally aged look.

"Ah," Aro said, spinning on his heel so quickly—and so near the edge of the top step of the dais—that it was a wonder he didn't tumble right down it. "How rude of me. I had a lapse on introductions, didn't I? Young Maisie, my name is Aro, and these are my brothers, Marcus and Caius."

Marcus was the man to the right, who I now realized wore and entirely apathetic expression. Caius sat to the left, glaring all the while. He was also the second leader to speak.

"She smells… tainted, brother." Caius' observation made Aro giggle as he raised his hands and clapped.

"Come, Jane, dear. Bring in the jury."

I looked over my shoulder just as Jane came in, flanked now by a boy ever so slightly taller than her. They were obviously related, Jane's wide eyes and wider mouth reflected in this boy's face. they were followed by a considerable number of cloaked figures, all of varying ages, heights, and ethnicities. Their red eyes were their only commonality, marking them as vampires of the human blood variety.

Seeing their number made my throat restrict and my chest tighten.

"And this," Aro's voice drew my attention back to him. He raised his arms, gesturing to what must have been more than a hundred vampires moving to line the walls on either side of the hall. "This is our guard, young Maisie, cultivated of the strongest, most gifted vampires we have come across. Let us begin."

Still, Aro did not take his seat. Rather, he walked past Caius, squeezing his brother's hand as he went, and descended the dais again. He all but glided in his cloak until he reached Jane, cupping her face in his hands and pressing a chaste kiss right on her mouth. "Jane, my sweet, why do you linger down here? You know well that I require your abilities, as well as Alec's, for trials."

Jane's smile was transformative, erasing all dourness from her expression. She was suddenly resplendently lovely, gazing up at Aro with utter devotion. "We know our place, Master. We are simply waiting for our invitation to approach the thrones, that is all."

Aro tutted around the two, wrapping them beneath his arms and leading them forward. Rather than climb the dais themselves, Jane and Alec took seats on the steps, just to the side of Caius' throne. There was no explanation concerning their role in the trial, which made me more nervous than if Aro had spelled it out for me.

"_Now_ we may truly begin." Aro said, moving back into his place. "Marcus, read the testimony Irina brought us if you so will, dear brother."

Marcus rose with an actual groan, something I had never heard from a vampire over such a simple movement. He pulled a rolled parchment from the inside of his sleeve, rolling it out and beginning to read in a monotonous voice. If Aro's voice reminded me of cobwebs, then Marcus' was a one-note doldrum.

"Irina's testimony shows that one Jasper Whitlock, from the established coven of Carlisle Cullen, has revealed the existence of our kind to a human girl by the name of Maisie Thompson. Upon hearing Irina's testimony, I, Marcus, along with my brothers Aro and Caius, saw fit to summon the offending party to our home to provide their own testimony and stand trial."

…and that was it. Marcus rolled up the parchment and tucked it back into his sleeve. This transcription made no mention of my role in any of the vampire deaths I was responsible for…not James, Maria, or Irina. In fact, from what Marcus read, it sounded like the only charges was for Jasper.

If they meant to only charge Jasper, then they may kill him alone and… my thought drifted from there, chilling my entire body down to the bones. I took a step forward before I even knew what I was doing. Jasper's hand tightened to stop me, but that's not what had me freezing in my steps.

"Ah!" A short scream; I could get nothing else out of my lungs before the pain consumed me. Such terrible pain, like the burn of vampire venom, but I could feel it all over, in every crevice. There was nothing but this pain, erasing all my senses until I was released as suddenly as I had been afflicted.

The pain left, but I think it took several seconds for the roaring in my ears to cease and my body to unlock. I came back to the sound of Jasper's voice, his cool hands pushing my hair off my now sweaty face.

"…didn't mean anything by it, she became frightened when she heard only I stand accused."

"Ah, yes, I'm sure you are quite attuned to her moods, Jasper. Jane was only acting in protection, I'm sure you'll understand." Aro wore a bemused smile on his face, looking down his long nose at me from the top step of his dais. "I should think that a human girl who has been instrumental in two vampire deaths would be smarter than to make a move where she is so clearly outnumbered."

"Three." In the throws of the pain, I had crumpled nearly to the ground. Only Jasper's grasp had kept me from hitting the cold marble floor. I used his arms now to push myself up, righting myself to look Aro clearly in the eye.

"What was that, child?" Jasper gave me a warning squeeze, fingers tightening around mine, but I shook my hair back and repeated myself for Aro.

"Three vampire deaths, that's how many I was 'instrumental' in."

This time when Aro laughed, it rang through the hall. His amusement came as a shock to Marcus, apparently, red eyes rolling in a slack-jawed face toward his brother. Caius on the other hand, scrunched his face in obvious displeasure. Jane pouted just beside Caius' feet, though Alec remained passive.

"May I see?" Aro asked, gliding toward me with his hand raised, palm outstretched. I would have backed away from him, on instinct, had Jasper not been just behind me. I bumped into his shoulder, a solid blockade from retreat.

"Raise your hand," he breathed in my ear, so I did. Aro's hand met mine, stretching his fingers along my own so that our palms met flush together. There was a pressure, a tugging, _I don't know what_, at my mind and then the oddest thing happened to my sight. I could still see Aro in front of me, with the others out of focus behind him, but my vision was overtaken by something else, too. Some kind of see-through vision.

It was like taking an old photo film negative and looking through it. You could see what was beyond the film but overlaid with the picture the film contained. I could see Aro, but I could also see Gunner. He was little, a toddler, all chubby thighs in his shorts as he ran alongside me. The sun shone on us. We ran, too slow on our toddler legs, after a lizard zipping through grass. I recognized this: my earliest memory. I could even _hear_ us laughing, our feet crunching over the sun-bleached grass.

A terrible blur of color and sound came next, almost like fast-forwarding a VHS tape. It was nauseating in the swiftness. I guess Aro was searching for something. With an equally disconcerting stop, the blur ended on a vision of Maria's face.

I was shorter than her the first time we met, so that I had to tilt my head back to look at her. Her musical voice played in my head once more, beckoning me to leave the house. Her momentary disappointment when I wouldn't do as she bid.

_"You're too young anyway."_ A flash of movement, a burning in my cheek. In my memory, Maria leaned forward to kiss my cheek, red blood staining her lips when she pulled back. The change in her eyes when she licked her lips clean was immediate and shocking, black blazing to red.

That tugging sensation again, and my vision was righted. I was left breathless, staring at Aro's perplexed face. He had pulled his hand back ever so slightly, so we were no longer quite touching. Where Aro was all confusion, and Marcus all quiet apathy, Caius was excitement. He stood from his throne, his face bright. "You've found something damning so soon, brother?"

Aro raised his free hand, shaking his head. "No. Something of consideration, rather. It appears that Jasper may not have been responsible for Maisie's knowledge of vampires. Let it be known that one Maria, who we had known to be notorious among the Southern United States territory wars, made a rather showy display of consuming a small amount of Maisie's blood in front of her."

There were murmurs from the 'jury' lining the wall. Aro's hand left mine, darting forward to grasp my jaw and turn my face so that he could peer at my scarred cheek. "Hmm."

His nails dug into my jaw, making me grit my teeth. I couldn't have explained if I wanted to, but I didn't need to anyway. Jasper cleared his throat, drawing Aro's attention so that his hand slackened somewhat against my face.

"It's referred to as 'marking'. This technique wasn't used in my time serving Maria, and I admit, it's not a skill I would have likely ever mastered. Marking requires considerable self-control. Maisie's human perspective, as well as dulled human sight, doesn't reveal the whole process in memory, I'm sure."

He went on to explain how Maria had deposited a miniscule amount of her own venom into the cut she left on my cheek. A taste of vampire venom, but far to small an amount to overtake the bloodstream and cause a turning.

"Interesting. Thank you for that explanation. My brothers and I are familiar with the general concept of that technique, though in different applications." Aro whispered, cool breath washing over my face, we were so close. I expected him to take my hand again, to sift through my memories, but I soon learned that any physical contact allowed Aro to activate his abilities. He kept hold of my face, positioning it so I was meeting his gaze straight on, and I was soon dragging along through blurs of my memories.

Pauses happened occasionally—my consistent cat scratch lie I used to cover my encounter with Maria, our move to Forks, the Cullens arriving a few years later, miniscule interactions with the Cullens before knowing they were vampires. Sometimes Aro watched a few seconds of a memory—meeting Jasper, for example. But he didn't fully stop and let one play through again until he reached my memory of James breaking into my bedroom. However, he ended it prematurely, before I had raised the gun and shot James in the head.

"Ah," he murmured. "I see."

He spun from me then, his cloak sending a wash of cool air ruffling my skirt. With an air of exaggerated drama, Aro looked all around his 'jury' he had collected made up of his own Volturi guard.

"Let it be known that a second vampire made no efforts to conceal his nature from our young Maisie. I think some questions are in order. As soon as you saw James' red eyes, a memory of Maria ran through your mind. Tell me, why did you connect James with Maria, but not with the Cullen coven?"

I didn't like the way he kept referring to the Cullens as a 'coven' rather than the family I knew them to be. Still, I pushed that away. Aro had spun again; Caius was leaning forward on his throne. They were expecting an answer.

"I…" I started, but Aro was right. Why _hadn't_ I? "I had only been around Jasper, really, at that point. And Jasper…he's mindful about staying fed, to help his self-control. Even now, I've only seen his eyes golden. Maria's eyes had been black when I first saw her, and they turned red when she tasted my blood. James had red eyes the first time I saw him, and Jasper always had gold eyes, so it wouldn't make sense to connect the Cullens with Maria and James."

For someone I was fairly sure had never seen a lawyer in a modern court of law, that's what Aro reminded me of. He tossed a look over his shoulder at his brothers, and I watched, in profile, as his eyebrows raised in some unspoken question to them. When he turned back to us, he lifted his hand not to me, but to Jasper.

I hadn't chanced any glances at Jasper since Jane's strange attack, afraid my resolve would waiver. Now, though, I tipped my head up to take in the hard set of his jaw, his resolute eyes, as he raised his own hand. I gripped his elbow, hoping he would recognize it as the show of support I intended.

Whatever Aro heard in his past thoughts as he replayed the memories would seal Jasper's fate, I knew.

"I do so hope I'm not causing any strife between you two lovers, but, Jasper, I must ask you to explain your decision to tell Maisie the truth of our kind. It seems to me that your skills as a tactician came in handy, no?"

I noticed, unlike with me, Aro did not release Jasper from his grip when asking for an explanation. I kept a hand on Jasper, too, fingers curled around his arm. Beside me, he sighed.

"When James and his wandering companions came to Forks, Maisie piqued his interest. They had learned of the marking technique Maria had inflicted on Maisie in their travels." He paused here, looking down at me. His golden eyes were tight and hard. "This wanderer, James, was obsessive. We learned that from one of his companions, Laurent. He defected, travelling on to Alaska to meet and learn from the Denali sisters."

"Why not just kill the girl?" Caius called from the dais. "Surely that was this James' intent, was it not?"

"No." With some reluctance, Jasper's gaze slid away from my face to meet Caius' head on. "Actually, they had different plans. Maisie was an already marked human. Neither James nor Victoria had ever attempted to turn a human before, but they hypothesized that turning Maisie may be easier. They were inspired by the southern armies and thought Maisie would be the perfect place to start."

"You didn't love her then," Aro intercepted. "Admired her, yes, but not love. I believe Caius' question still stands: why not kill _her_ and not your fellow vampires to end it?"

"Carlisle does not believe in taking human life, as you all know. He's taught us the same. We spare human life and partake in an animal blood diet, which allows us to blend into the human world without calling attention to our vampiric nature. Which is not to say we have not had our lapses, myself especially… but, besides that…Alice had foreseen that they would be relentless, would not conceal themselves, and that Maisie would put up a fight. Nor would they allow their plans to be foiled by the death of one human. It was in the best interest of my family to eliminate James and Victoria."

Caius huffed, blowing his breath as his hands curled to fists. Marcus only nodded in reaction, as if Jasper's explanation made perfect sense to him, so I was surprised to hear him speak. "The question remains; why tell the girl at all?"

With a quick jerk, Jasper withdrew his hand from Aro's grasp before nodding toward me. "Watch a little longer and I think you might understand."

Ignoring his indignant huff, I held my hand out for Aro once more. I hated the rollercoaster rush feeling that his mind sifting brought on, but I was careful to keep my face neutral while he sped through. When he stopped, it was to slam into my memory of James climbing through my bedroom window. In memory, I watched James' face crack around the impact of the bullet, venom using from the wound.

This memory, it seemed, was shocking to Aro. He pulled his hand back, gasping as if I had hurt him. Jane was on her feet in an instant behind him, but Aro held up a hand to stop her. "It's nothing, my sweet."

Even as Aro consoled Jane, Caius barked, "What did you see?" Not that he got an answer. I raised an eyebrow at Aro, pressing my hand back to his. We picked up where we left off:

_I chanced one glance back at Ava. She had her face covered with her hands, crying. When I looked back, the man smiled in a sick, twisted way, and lifted his finger to his lips._

_Shhh._

Aro flickered through the next bits, pausing here, zooming past there. He swallowed before speaking, not letting up at all as he searched through my memories. "Why didn't you tell your parents?"

"I'm not sure how much you know about humans, but most of us don't have any clue about vampires or anything else supernatural. 'Hey, Mom and Dad, I just shot a man in the head, but he didn't bleed. His skin just cracked around the bullet. Oh, and he had red eyes.' My next stop would've been to Carlisle for a psych eval."

Slipping his fingers through mine, Aro gripped my hand tightly. He didn't have to tell me I was expected to stay exactly where I was, or _else._ Grabbing Jasper's wrist, Aro released my mind if not my hand. He was not a conduit, it seemed. I had no inkling of what he was viewing in Jasper's mind, even as I studied their faces.

Aro looked paler than he had before, somehow. His face was drawn, pinched, eyes narrowed as his red gaze met Jasper's calm, golden eyes. I knew this calm was a front, but damn, was it a good one. Jasper's face looked entirely serene, even as his irritation and wariness spiked within me.

If I had to guess, I would say that Aro was watching Jasper's confession on the pier just days after I shot James. For several minutes, Aro went between the two of us, pulling up twin memories, I suspected.

_The confession. James' death. All the aftermath that followed._

All the aftermath that followed. At least, in my own mind. Which means he saw the Quileute wolf pack, Gunner learning about vampires himself, Bella's involvement in all of that.

I was hoping, stupidly, that Aro wouldn't go that far. Though I hadn't eaten in days, my stomach was in revolt, acid already climbing upward along my throat.

"What convolution." Suddenly, Aro released both of us, pinching the bridge of his nose as if afflicted with a headache.

"If they pain you, brother, why have we not made our leave of them yet?" Caius asked, baring his teeth.

"We've only one charge against them," Marcus reminded us all, in that mausoleum voice of his. "And we have yet to reach a verdict on them. Execution cannot come before a guilty verdict, Caius."

This made the blonde brother huff as Aro threw his hands up, turning on his heel to regain his throne. He flicked his wrist at Alec as he passed. The young boy stood, and I felt Jasper tense beside me, but nothing happened. Well, nothing besides Alec blurring from the room, air ruffling Jasper's hair as he streaked past us.

All eyes seemed to shift within the room. Jasper and I were no longer the point of focus. In fact, it seemed we had ceased to exist altogether. Even when I moved closer to Jasper, letting him wrap me in his arm as I fitted myself against his side, there was not another sudden, painful attack from Jane.

Before us, on their thrones, the three leaders of the Volturi began to argue.

"Marcus," Aro began, voice world-weary. "Tell me, how deep is the emotional tie between these two?"

"Considerably, brother. They are intertwined. I should think it would not be an unfounded assumption that they would fight for one another should one…expire."

An eyeroll from Caius, but Aro soldiered on. "And we know the love Carlisle and Esme hold for those they consider their children."

"We know from Irina's testimony that they have had contact with _werewolves._" Caius spit the word with such acidity, I was surprised there was no saliva staining the tile at his feet. A wave of Aro's hand quickly dismissed him.

"Shifters, not true Children of the Moon, dear brother. We suspected as much, remember? Memories in both the accused's minds proved our suspicion there. They are responsible for the deaths of Laurent and Irina, these shifters, but a treaty exists between the Cullen coven and the shifters I would be loath to destroy. Jasper?"

Another wave of Aro's hand, this time to summon. I made no effort to extricate myself, moving forward in tandem alongside Jasper. We stopped just short of the dais.

"Tell us true, friend. Why did you reveal the existence of our kind to this human girl?"

There was no waver in Jasper's voice, despite my pounding heart and our combined fear and anxiety. "James and Victoria were the true threat, at the time. They needed to be eliminated, which spared Maisie by circumstance. However, the decision to reveal the truth to Maisie was my own and should not reflect on her or the rest of my family. At the time, it was a decision borne from the desire to provide her some comfort. I would venture to say, however, that Aro has seen that Maisie has guarded our secret as her own though not a vampire herself. If I am sentenced to die for that decision, I can say in all honesty I have no regrets in making it."

Aro smiled. There was no warmth in it, however, a fact that was highlighted by Marcus' characteristic lack of reaction and Caius' sneer.

"Not _yet_...I'm getting ahead of myself. We have bigger factors at play here." His voice rang out, suddenly, the theatrics unneeded considering the exceptional hearing abilities of vampires. I jumped at this sudden outburst, as Aro explained Maria's and Irina's deaths. He put extra emphasis on how I had consumed venom each time: once from drinking Gunner's blood; more recently from willingly swallowing Irina's.

"Considerable feats, I think we can all agree, to consume such amounts of venom and perform instrumental roles in the deaths of three vampires. Though…bravery has never been an acceptable currency for crimes, has it? And Jasper has committed our worst."

Here, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Long, black hair fell forward to frame his cheeks. When he met my eye, I had the strangest feeling of being a small child under scrutiny from their teacher.

"Sweetling, you do understand that this predicament could be very easily solved by you fully joining the vampire lifestyle, don't you?"

I nodded, suddenly unable to find my voice around the heart in my throat. Aro mirrored my nod, that cold smile widening just a bit.

"Don't look so frightened! There's no need to fret, dear Maisie. No, you won't be undergoing the arduous three-day process of a typical turning."

We both must have been standing there staring dumbfounded and wide-eyed at Aro, because his eyes flicked back and forth between us before he began giggling. "Caius, the purity of our kind is your expertise. I'll leave the explaining to you."

Caius damn near _preened_ at being given the spotlight, straightening his posture and throwing his shoulders back, chin held high.

"There is basis behind the mythos surrounding vampires, you see. Human imagination is not to credit in the varying lore of our kind, but even vampires who have walked the Earth as long as Carlisle are far too young to remember a time when other…types….of vampires existed."

Other types of vampires…

I wasn't given time to ponder that thought. Caius pushed himself from his throne, addressing all of us, not just Jasper and I. "Differing types of creation generate different vampires. It's quite simple, but for time's sake, we won't be delving into each of these creation methods. Besides, such information is highly sensitive information, and revealing too much to our…_friends_…on trial here would invalidate the need for said trial."

He turned on his heel, pinning us under his red gaze. "I value demonstration of truth. I find it adds authenticity to fact. Aro, the truth."

"Irina provided information to us prior to this trial that Maisie and Jasper, as well as the rest of the Cullen coven, have become aware of hybrids, or, beings typically wrought from a male vampire coupling with a human woman."

Oh shit. _How had I forgotten about that?_ There was a low buzz of whispered conversation moving through the crowds of vampires lining the walls.

"Yes, yes, common enough knowledge for those who reside within this castle. Not so common—nay, _unheard_ of—to the average vampire. We cannot fault Carlisle, or his children here before us, for the misfortune of stumbling upon this knowledge. Instead, we will elucidate these two standing trial. There is another way to create a hybrid vampire, through the oral consumption of vampire venom."

Aro met my eye, giving a wink with a tip of his head toward me. I had broken into a cold sweat by this point, because remembering Joham and his daughters started a domino effect in my mind. Yes, I had forgotten them, but I had forgotten something else monumental in my single-minded focus on the very real possibility Jasper may not leave Volterra with me.

Gunner, my very, very human brother, had intimate knowledge of vampires. So did Bella, Sam's fiancée, Emily…likely all of the human imprints of the Quileute wolf pack.

I was so focused only on how coming to stand before the Volturi would affect _me._

Even watching those memories back in the weird, see-through fashion of Aro's power hadn't _alarmed_ me. I had forgotten the ramifications, but it was very clear from Aro's wink that he had seen, and, unlike me, he would not be forgetting.

That terrible, ugly truth hung like a leaden weight in my stomach. A buzzing had taken up residence in my ears, so that I had to strain to hear what Aro said next. "The truth is that Maisie cannot undergo our preferred method of becoming a vampire…because she's already become a hybrid."

"Impossible!" Jasper argued. His outburst jostled me, setting in motion a shaking that I couldn't stop if I tired. "Maisie differs entirely from the hybrids we met in South America."

"Does she, though?" Caius' mocking tone, not to mention his canary smirk, made it clear he was enjoying this with relish. "Her heartbeat has slowed, truly, even now only beating at a typical human rhythm in her terror. But her smell? Indistinguishable."

"Not to mention her increased strength, heightened senses, dependency on a _human_ blood diet, recent lack of appetite… she possesses all known characteristics of a venom-turned hybrid. Similar, yes, but not identical to a born-hybrid. Jasper, truly, she was so terribly sick after consuming so much of Irina's venom. That lingering fever wasn't concerning to Carlisle?"

"…yes, but, we had—" Jasper sputtered in vain beside me, but Aro was quick to cut him off.

"I'm surprised with our old friend. Carlisle has studied humans and vampires alike for centuries now and he couldn't see the answer right in front of his face."

For the first time Marcus smiled, his lips quirking into something that looked almost like amusement. "We haven't done him much favors there, brother, having destroyed all vampires that differ from us."

Obviously displeased by the derailing of his spotlight, Caius cut a deadly glare at Marcus and Aro before turning back to face us.

"Venom-turned hybrids and born-hybrids share a massive commonality between them: a blood immunity to venom." Caius' eyes lit up in his excitement. "Which brings us to the demonstration of truth."

He strode down the dais steps on light feet stopping just a few feet from us. Immediately, Jasper angled his body so that he was shielding me, but that only left Caius clicking his tongue in disapproval. "Now, now. I know what you assume; it's plain to see on your face, Jasper. I have no intentions of harming Maisie, I merely wanted to be front and center for the show."

An inclination of his head had me turning my own. Through the massive white doors, Alec returned, but he was not alone. He led Serena behind him, a tight hold on her wrist. Her white-blonde hair was limp against her cheeks, pale green eyes bugging from her skull. I froze at the sight of her, Jasper going rigid beside me.

"Unfortunately, Aro has yet to find a vampire with time manipulation abilities, and your sister Alice is not hear to foresee the future for us. We shall have to take a more direct, scientific approach. Alec?"

The young vampire, no more than a boy, really, stopped a yard or so before us. Smiling up at Serena, Alec's teeth glinted in the moonlight. She tried to pull away from him, she really did, and she but up a good fight, but Serena proved no match to Alec's gift.

I didn't notice the shimmery mist at first. When Serena began to calm, I thought it was from Alec's _shush_ing her. Like a fog rolling in, though, the mist curled upward until it caught my eye. Silver waves undulated over Serena's body, climbing past hips, stomach, shoulders; swirling around her face as she calmed and quieted.

"Alec can deprive the senses via his mist," Jasper murmured beside me, voice wooden and hollow in explanation.

"This hybrid is not the one on trial," Caius didn't sound happy about that fact. "Aro affords some mercy, when it has been earned."

Once Serena was still beneath Alec's touch, he lifted her arm with no resistance. He sunk his teeth into the tender underside of Serena's wrist, blood dripping down his chin as his throat bobbed with a single, deep swallow.

But…Serena didn't react. She looked for all the world like a zombie, standing with her mouth slightly agape and eyelids heavy, blood dripping from her wrist onto the white tile floor.

"Do not fret, she won't feel a thing so long as Alec has her enveloped in his mist. Hybrids are fast healers, besides. Notice how she's suffered no ill effects, Jasper? No racing heart to be heard?" Aro commented, but his voice sounded a thousand miles away just then. Caius' was too loud, in contrast, amusement coloring his sharp tone.

"Seeing is believing, or so they say. Now, Jasper, are you going to do the honors or shall I?"

* * *

**A/N: **The first part of the trial with the Volturi!

I always felt the Volturi was cult-like (obviously), and I am trying hard to capture that with how I write them. (Cue Jane calling Aro 'master').

Maisie becoming a 'hybrid' was actually inspired by two very disconnected things that my brain somehow mashed together: 1). I have always been so curious as to _why_ there is only one type of vampire in Twilight when we had that whole scene of Bella researching various vampire myths and 2). research I did on snake venom (which seems the closest to vampire venom that exists in the real world; aside from altering DNA it seems that certain snake venom operates similar to my understanding of vampire venom) waaaay back when Maisie swallowed Maria's venom to cleanse Gunner's blood.

This has been a long time coming, y'all.

More will be explained in the next chapter as to why _swallowing _the venom brings different results than injecting venom straight to the bloodstream. But first we have to get through Caius' 'demonstration'... don't ask me why, but when thinking about how to characterize the Volturi, I decided Caius would likely be a man of scientific thinking, so long as its his own twisted form of science. More on that next time.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

I could have eaten my words. _I've only seen his eyes golden._ An hour ago, that had been true. Now, I was gazing at those golden eyes, nodding at Jasper to push him through his hesitation. Caius, I had quickly learned, was not a patient man, and he had already made it clear that either Jasper would bite me, or Caius would.

This 'demonstration of the truth' was set to play out, and it would play out on our terms.

"It's okay," I whispered to him, pushing away the waves of dread and terror rising in me. My thumb smoothed the lines between his brows. A flip of my opposite wrist, an offering. "It's okay. Just do it, okay? I want you to do it."

I knew what was coming, and yet I still wasn't prepared when Jasper lifted my wrist to his lips. He pressed a kiss against my raging pulse first, an apology before the burning bite when he sunk his teeth in. An acidic tug as he drew my blood into his mouth and swallowed, and then a pain that put Jane's psychological powers to shame.

Alec robbing Serena of her senses had been a mercy indeed. The influx of Jasper's venom was like getting hit by a train. It stole my breath, leaving me frantic and gasping, burning hot but _fast._ When Maria cut me, it had been a slow spread of fire. Drinking venom had been similar…but this was instantaneous, a spontaneous combustion that was raging across my chest, down my legs, in the soles of my feet, everywhere in a matter of seconds.

Even in my ears, the fire roared and raged, but I could hear my high-pitched screaming through the flames.

The fire pulled back just as quickly as it spread, raging backward along the path it had forged. A leaden chill was left in the absence of flames, receding and concentrating until the pain was contained in Jasper's bite. My very bones felt frozen in the absence of that fire.

Rational thought came back to me as the flames ebbed and died away. I had slumped once again under the pain, but as the tiled floor swam into focus before my eyes, it became clear that Jasper hadn't caught me this time. My knees ached in protest when I pushed myself up, having collided harshly with the floor when I fell. Blood—mine, this time—stained the tile in the shape of my handprint. I don't know how I managed to catch myself from pitching face-first into that tile.

Once I was righted, I realized Jasper hadn't caught me because he no longer stood beside me. I spun on the spot, searching for him, but it was soon obvious he wasn't in this stupid meeting hall anymore.

"Where did you take him?" I shouted. "Where's Jasper?"

He was not the only missing person. Alec and Serena were no longer behind me; Jane was missing from her seat on the steps next to Caius' throne. A cold hand on my shoulder made me jump, but the grip only tightened, fingers digging into my skin and forcing me to turn so that I was nearly nose-to-nose with Aro.

His smile was nauseating, muted red eyes shining in his amusement. That cold hand trailed down my arm, tightening again at my wrist. He lifted it to his own mouth.

I nearly crawled out of my skin at the feel of his tongue flicking over the wound Jasper had been forced to afflict my skin with. There was a small second burn, entirely dull compared to what had come before it, and then the bleeding stopped altogether.

"For all that you consider him to be a gentleman, Jasper seems to have neglected to clean up after himself and close the bite." He was seated on his throne once more in a blur of motion, dabbing almost daintily at his lips with the sleeve of his cloak. Not that he had gotten any of my blood on his mouth. I guess he was really trying to drive home his sentiment.

"Where is Jasper?" I demanded again, forcing as much ire and acid into my voice as I could manage even as I felt my head go dizzy in the aftermath of the venom. I wouldn't have dared to try to walk, lightheaded as I was, but Aro must have noticed my wavering. He beckoned me forward with an elegant flick of his wrist.

"Come, child. Kneel."

Walking forward took considerable effort. Doing as he asked and kneeling on the lowest step of the dais was nearly impossible; I had to hold on to a higher step lest I go face first instead of to my knees.

Another graceful wrist flick and the hall began to empty. "Go, my sweets. This portion does not concern you. We would have a private word with Maisie."

All around us, vampires in robes of various shades of gray and black dutifully filed through the massive doors at the back of the hall. Aro smiled pleasantly as they went, nodding at their obedience. Caius was smug on one side; even now, Marcus betrayed no deeper emotion than his blank expression. Nobody spoke again until the doors clicked shut behind the droves of Volturi guard members.

I opened my mouth to speak first but was silenced by a ferocious growl from Caius. I felt myself pale in fear instead, mouth shutting immediately. Aro simply raised his hand to still any other protests I may have planned. "Jasper is fine, my dear. He's paid his dues as far as we are concerned. No harm will come to him, sweetling. He's simply been removed for your own safety. He has improved his self-control considerably in recent decades, it's true, but he's far from an infallible young man."

Caius must have grown bored with his brother's penchant for speeches. "Do you understand your condition now, or are you as daft as you seem?"

"I…don't think I understand." My apparent daftness angered Caius. He was crouched in front of me in the blink of an eye, framing my face in frigid hands that felt like the confines of a grave.

"Stupid girl," he spat at me. "You are a hybrid. The immortality you so feared to choose for yourself has already been chosen."

"But…" My interruption was silenced by Caius tightening his grip on my face, cheekbones threatening to break under the pressure.

"Can you not _see_ it? We orchestrated all of it, stupid girl. _All. Of. It._ Irina was sent with the very purpose of manipulating you to ingest her venom. You humans do so love the idea of choice, and we took that from you without your knowledge. Jasper is not the only fallible member of the Cullen coven; Alice's visions have never been absolute, and the future is so easily manipulated once you know how. We have been _watching_ you, through Irina, for _months._"

My surprise must have shown on my face. Caius laughed, the sound all malice and no humor. "Yes, it has been that long. We had so hoped that either of you insufferable masochists would make the right decision, but you both preferred to torture yourself and the other. Letting yourself wither and die? Jasper refusing to make you see the sense of the matter? You should be exalting Marcus for his leniency, for the affliction of his senseless compassion, that he so vocally advocated for hybrid status for you rather than a full turning."

"There's a high likelihood she wouldn't have survived a true turning, Caius. She had already consumed venom, however briefly, and was considerably weakened in her tolerance for venom. The rewriting of DNA in a true turning would have killed her, most like. Only the slow absorption and bonding of venom to her regenerative cells would hold. Killing her would make this whole evening moot, would it not?"

It was the most I had heard Marcus speak, but it was obvious he had been a prominent voice in prior conversations that involved me. My eyes swung wildly between the three of them, lighting on each of their faces as my mind tried desperately to process what had been revealed to me.

"As we had already remedied your mortal status, we agreed Jasper might be spared…so long as he admitted responsibility of his undesirable choices and fulfilled our test of obedience. You'll heal quickly, it is true, but you will also carry the scar of his obedience long beyond this day." Aro sounded amused with himself.

I didn't notice I was crying until Caius ripped his hands from my face, disgust coloring his features as he dried his palms on his cloak. He backed away from me, incredibly offended by this display of emotion.

Aro sighed as if the events of the night had been exhausting and harrowing on him. "I have a final question for you, Maisie Daisy."

Acid rose in my throat at his use of my father's nickname for me, but I forced my expression to stay just as passive as Marcus'. I would _not_ give them the satisfaction of the reaction they were looking for. "Then ask."

Finally, a reaction from Marcus. His eyebrows shot up as he looked down his nose at me, commenting, "So petulant."

"Yes," Aro giggled. "It seems to be her base character trait. But I've seen a reckless selflessness in her, as well. She's the heart of a martyr."

He leaned forward again, pinning me under his ruddy gaze. "Maisie, dear, you understand that there are other humans who know the secret of our kind. Far too many for my liking. One is that brother of yours, the one you love so. But we've got a foolproof solution, don't we, sweet girl? I need you to say it. I need my brothers to hear it, Maisie. Would you trade a life to save another?"

"Yes," I said immediately, truly, desperately. But I shouldn't have. I should have paid attention to Aro's wording.

He did not ask me if I would trade my life, which was how I interpreted his question in that fleeting second before I gave my answer. Of course I would give my own life. If I was being honest, I had a bad habit of offering my life, especially for Gunner. And I would have done so gladly again…had that been Aro's intention.

"Excellent! As I said, Jasper has paid his dues, so he is exempt from this list. He has already earned his life being spared by rising to Caius' challenge of the demonstration. Now, if we eliminate Jasper from the list, that leaves your brother, Gunner—such an unusual name; the human girl, Bella, and the human woman…Emily, I believe her name was. There's no evidence of other humans being privy to vampiric existence, at least in either yours or Jasper's minds, and we will be taxing the two of you to keep it that way."

A pointed look at me, invisible daggers pressing into my skin until I nodded in understanding. Still, I did not understand that it was not my own life he was asking for in exchange.

"We are all in agreement then? Excellent."

Aro did not ask me if I would trade _my_ life to save another.

He asked me if I would trade _a_ life.

That wording was damning. When Aro rose from his throne and made a slow descent to the second-to-last stair, looming over me, I closed my eyes and waited for the end of my life.

Aro's touch wasn't meant to kill me, though. Gently, he raised my chin and bid me to stand. I did so, and he tenderly turned me. "Open your eyes, child."

Jasper came through the doors first. He was disheveled, but otherwise none the worse for wear. I was thankful for this, for his hair all askew and his shirt rumpled and wrinkled, but I couldn't contain my gasp when he drew near enough for me to see his face clearly.

Drinking my blood had altered his eyes, of course. My hybrid status had little effect in delaying the consequences here. Where once golden, his eyes now shone red beneath his furrowed brow.

This fact, arguably miniscule in all else I had learned that night, brought on a fresh wave of tears. Jasper ran his hand along my cheek in a comforting caress once he reached me, pressing a reassuring kiss to my mouth. I could taste the tang of my own blood on his lips.

"Do not look away from this," he cautioned me. The hard set of his features had not softened whatsoever upon our reunion. "You _must_ watch, Maisie. Looking away will only make it worse."

His hand slid beneath the curtain of my hair, resting gently along the back of my neck in reminder. I swallowed, hard, and nodded.

Though I had seen Serena earlier, I hadn't committed any thought as to _why_ she was here in Volterra. Not until she was brought back into the hall, Alec holding her tightly by the arm. Maysun and Jennifer were marched in as well, each escorted by members of the Volturi guard. I looked to Jasper for clarification, but he only shook his head.

"We owe them this much, Maisie."

From behind us, Aro's voice rang out, excitement clearly coloring his every word. "Three human lives spared, three lives in payment!"

Only then did the intent sink in. I tried to turn back, to argue, but Jasper's hand on the back of my neck was a cold reminder. He tightened his grip, a low, dark noise emitted from his throat stopping me in my tracks.

_This has been a game to them. This is all a game._

"Oh, do not fret so, dear Maisie. It was not your answer that signed the death warrants of these girls. Their father did that years ago, treating his children like broodmares with the intent of siring a vampire-human hybrid legacy. But that just will not do, will it?"

Alec and the others forced Joham's daughters to their knees. They were pale despite their olive skin, blanching white, but silent. Maysun's pretty face was swollen and bruised. Serena had not yet healed from Alec's bite, nor had he sealed the wound as Aro had sealed mine. Her blood still dripped, vibrant red on white, along the tile.

Jennifer, though, was the one that would haunt me. She stared straight at my face, her gaze boring a hole into my cheek. Though I looked at each of them in turn, I could not bring myself to look Jennifer in the eye.

There was more than the fear her sisters displayed beside her. Unadulterated hate like I had never known radiated from Jennifer, and the brunt of it was directed at me. Not that I could blame her.

I could only blame myself.

"If anything, sweet child, you have given their deaths purpose. They will die knowing their lives were not given in vain, but rather for humans who will one day wither and die themselves. Alec? You may begin."

I did not look away, just as Jasper had bid me. He was a rock beside me, not even daring to breathe, red eyes focused ahead. I forced my own to stay forward, too, even when Alec sunk his teeth into Serena's neck.

She screamed, at first. Then she was unable to, for all the blood choking her as it streamed from her mouth. Alec gave a quick twist of his head, eliciting an awful, wet tearing sound from Serena's skin. When she slumped forward, he let her fall slack to the ground, thick, dark blood pooling all around her.

Her sisters were quick to fall in the same way.

* * *

The Volturi prided themselves on image, I soon learned, which is how I found myself in a massive, antique sitting room while the great hall was being scrubbed of blood and vacated of bodies. When we were first led from the hall, I could not stop shaking.

Witnessing three murders will do that to you. Jasper more or less carried me up the stairs.

Faux concern led Aro to have a shawl and hot lemon water brought up to me, and a fire built in the hearth.

These tasks were carried out by a woman with inky black hair and chocolate brown eyes. I held the cup she offered me between my palms, squeezing the china to keep my hands from shaking. I was chilled, it was true, a deep, icy pit having taken residence in my middle.

"She's human," I commented when she left the room.

"Ah, very astute. Indeed. She is working to prove herself worthy of joining us. If not…well, she hails to us from outside Volterra, so she is expendable by our rules." Aro explained from across the room. He had bid Jasper and I to sit in luxuriously plush armchairs before a massive, solid oak desk while he perused floor to ceiling bookshelves.

Caius stood sentry beside one of the large windows, overseeing the disposal of Joham's daughter's bodies. Marcus, of all things, was warming his hands beside the fire. All three of them had shed their cloaks in this more private setting, revealing expensive suits in muted, dark colors beneath.

Aro's lithe, pale hand alit upon a book bound in deep green leather. He pulled it from the shelf, whirling on his heel and proffering it to Jasper. "Shall I translate, or will you?"

Methodically, Jasper took the old tome from Aro. Still, Aro hovered, cracking open the book in Jasper's hands to the exact page he wanted us to read. Or, well, for _Jasper_ to read. Like the book we had at home, it was written in Latin.

"Apologies. Many of the books that have survived the test of time are written in Latin, you see, because it was so en vogue at the time. Latin was considered a prestigious language, as only learned men of the time were able to read it. Earlier accounts, in more ancient languages, have perished."

Neither of us responded. I watched Jasper as his eyes roved over the pages. His red eyes, still so shocking and foreign to see in his handsome face. I wouldn't lie, the ghoulish hue accentuated his feline movements and the scars littering his skin. It was all too easy to see why he was considered such a formidable force of Maria's army.

"Speaking of," Aro continued, not deterred by our lack of response, "I'll be wanting that book of yours for our private collection. We'll consider it small compensation for the trouble you've put us through."

Small compensation. As if four people hadn't died, if you counted Joham, who had been executed before we arrived in Volterra.

Jasper took my hand, running my fingers beneath a line of text that had no meaning to me. Well, no meaning until he whispered the translation to me.

_"Drinking the blood of a vampire will grant one's person eternal youth and life, save for demise through bodily harm."_

"Dated language," Aro amended. "The term 'blood of a vampire' refers to venom, of course."

"Why destroy the hybrids?" Jasper asked. "Surely they carry no threat, not against a full vampire. Especially not against the considerable force of the Volturi guard, as carefully cultivated as it is."

It was a question I was pondering myself, though I hadn't found my voice to frame it. Rather, I turned my hand under Jasper's so that our palms were flush together, and I could twine my fingers with his. I clung to him, earning a reassuring squeeze in response.

"Hybrids tend to…not uphold secrecy, over time." Marcus informed us mildly. His calm tone was undercut by Caius' sudden outburst.

"They _flaunt_ their immortality, their ability to blend so well with humans. We true vampires know better and separate ourselves from human masses, but hybrids do nothing to conceal their youth. They needed culling, lest the whole herd fall."

Aro crossed the room, laying a hand on his brother's shoulder. Jasper pulled me closer to him, into his own chair, so that he could fit me against his side.

"What Caius says is true. Though hybrids pose no physical threat, the threat of exposure is equally formidable. Our dear friends Maysun, Serena, and Jennifer perished this night for similar reasons. In his quest for a dynasty, Joham had opened his daughters to human paramours as well. He was reckless and sloppy in his methods, killing too many humans too quickly in far too small an area."

Aro's exposition would have continued undeterred, I was sure, had I not interrupted.

"How could you know so much?" The question came as much of a surprise to me as it did the others. Jasper stiffened beside me while Caius glared and Marcus turned his back to the fire to look at me.

"Joham, Maysun, Serena, Jennifer…" I continued. "How did you know about them before our coming to Volterra?"

Aro, at least, recovered from his surprise, chuckling before providing his answer.

"Why, sweet child, Irina was far from stupid. It sems you have underestimated the bonds of siblings, despite being so close to your own brother. The Denali sisters talked, of course, and Irina learned much about your escapades. Other information she gathered herself."

My mind immediately wandered back to the day Irina had ambushed me on my run in Alaska. She hadn't been threatening me. She was warning me.

Irina had been a spy for the Volturi, and we were all too stupid to see it.

I looked down at my lap, pleating the hem of my dress between my fingers, trying desperately to keep my composure.

"Amazing what a little sentimentality will blind you to, is it not?" Aro goaded, though Jasper didn't rise to it. Irina had been considered family by the Cullens. She _was_ family to Kate and Tanya.

Would we have seen it plainly had Irina been a threat, an enemy, outright?

"So Joham was killed for siring his children through human women, attempting to continue experimentation with partly vampiric beings through his daughters, and more recent exposure for being 'sloppy'. That logic tracks, but why kill the daughters? We were under the impression when meeting them in South America that Joham's daughters were not consenting to his use of them."

Jasper's question was just as amusing as my own, eliciting another bark of laughter from Aro.

"Nahuel is the only child of Joham's who goes against his ideologies. We will be checking in with him after our business is finished here, but our hope is that this assumption is correct, and he will be spared. We hope to learn from him. Male natural born hybrids are a considerable rarity; never have we encountered one. As for Joham's daughters… well, they held no intentions to put a cease to his methods after they found success with the youngest girl."

At that, my head shot up. I was met with Aro's sickening smile. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. Come with me to the wives' tower and you shall see."

* * *

The wives' tower, as Aro had named it, required another journey up several flights of stairs. These stairs were dotted with young vampires, eyes preternaturally red and bright, practically glowing from their faces.

I knew them for what they were immediately. Newborns. Their presence wasn't lost on Jasper, either. His grip on my hand tightened as we moved among them.

At the top of the tower, we were ushered inside a decadent room. Castle walls were hung with thick tapestries. My feet sunk into plush rugs carpeting the floors. A fire roared in the hearth, making the air of the room muggy and thick thanks to the insulation of all the fine fabrics strewn about.

It did not escape my notice that there did not appear to be any windows in this room. Or, at the least, they were covered with tapestries. Aro bid us to follow him through the antechamber into an equally, if not more, opulent bedroom.

Jasper had to duck to avoid hitting his head on a chandelier heavy with dripping jewels and candles alike. A massive four-poster bed dominated the center of the room, fine lace canopy drawn back to reveal two women sitting side-by-side. These women wore timeless dresses, but their jewelry likely would have rivaled the crown jewels of England. Heavy earrings, rings on nearly every finger, large necklaces, masses of hair dotted with loose jewels in intricate arrangements.

Each were perched on the edge of the bed, heads bent together over a cradle. One was dark-haired, the other flaxen, and both smiled sweetly when they lifted their heads and saw Aro there.

"My love," the dark-haired women greeted, red eyes shining. "See how the babe slumbers? He is a blessed child, truly."

"Yes, Sulpicia, you and Athenodora have cared so tenderly for him, I know. He has been greatly loved, but I'm afraid your parting with the child is upon you."

I would think this would be upsetting news for someone who had cared for a child since birth, as I assumed this Sulpicia and Athenodora had done, but Sulpicia only smiled serenely before bending over and reaching into the cradle.

Had I not seen Jennifer only a handful of hours ago, I would not have believed she was the baby's mother. Cheeks flushed pink, little eyelids fluttering with dreams, Sulpicia presented the baby as if it were her own. But there was Jennifer in the pointed chin, the upturned nose. Would her hazel eyes be looking up at me if the baby woke?

"Impossible," Jasper murmured beside me. "Joham said his daughters never carried children to term."

"They never carried a _vampire's_ child to term, no. This babe here is mostly human…to borrow a term Maisie has used for herself. Only a fourth vampiric, if my math is correct."

"He's an angel is what he is," Athenodora cooed, leaning over Sulpicia's shoulder. She ran her finger along the baby's profile, making him give a small shudder in his sleep.

"Why spare him?" I asked. "He's not very big. He can't be more than a month old. Why let Jennifer have him at all if you intended for her to die?"

Aro tutted at my question, shaking his head. "Have I not proved merciful this night, dear Maisie? I certainly thought so. We would not knowingly snuff out innocent life. This child, like his biological uncle, is unprecedented in our world. We would learn from him, as we intend to learn from Nahuel."

"You would raise this child?" Jasper asked, voice tight. "Many children have perished in these walls in decades past."

"Many _immortal_ children, which are strictly forbidden by our laws. It is my hope that this boy's parents will teach him to mind. Alas, it will not be myself and my dear Sulpicia raising the babe."

Sulpicia rose. She was a small woman, around my own size, and her long skirts swirled around her legs as she walked toward me.

Ava had been born when I was twelve, more than old enough to help with a younger sibling. I had spent my high school years babysitting for extra money. Though my arms felt heavy and numb, they cradled the baby instinctively when Sulpicia pressed him to my chest.

"No…" Jasper's voice cracked over that singular word. "You can't mean…"

"Oh, but I do! Maisie retains many of her human qualities, it is true, but conceiving and birthing a child will never be one of them. When venom is absorbed in the human body, it binds to regenerative cells, forcing them into stasis. Injured or damaged cells will mend themselves, its true, but this stasis renders all female reproduction null and void. You have not yet been a hybrid for a full month, Maisie, so it is not remiss that you may not have noticed this change. Think of this child as a gift, in place of that loss."

The baby nuzzled against me, burying his face against my chest. He was warm, as his ruddy cheeks had hinted, and heavier than I had thought. His little chest rose and fell with the cadence of his breaths.

"He will learn humanity from Maisie, and embrace his vampiric side through you, Jasper. Carlisle will be thrilled, I have no doubt, to become a grandfather of sorts."

Jennifer's face just before death surfaced in my mind. I saw again that pure, acidic hatred shining from her face. Aro had said it was not my fault she and her sisters died, but I knew that was wrong. Joham and his daughters likely never would have been found by the Volturi were it not for me.

So, yes, Jennifer had died because of me. Now I held her golden-haired son in my arms.

_Had Jennifer ever even held her baby?_

Jasper was trying to argue with Aro, but I hardly heard a word either was saying. Readjusting the baby in my arms, I ran a finger over his dusting of hair.

"We'll take him."

That stopped both of their arguing. Two pairs of red eyes focused on me; one set jubilant, the other wide with shock.

"Maisie…" Jasper tried to begin, but I shook my head.

"Jasper," his voice was a plea in my mouth, "I owe her this much."

* * *

**A/N:** I've been planning this since I decided to write a sequel to _Preciosa._ I hope it reads as well as I have hoped. It's honestly a little scary posting it!

Thank you for all the kind words on the previous chapter. While I do think the Volturi were underplayed in their ruthlessness during the events of _Breaking Dawn,_ I also think a heavy dose of manipulation was missing. You don't stay in control of the vampire masses for millennia as they have without a good heaping of both traits. Hopefully I have written this chapter to do justice to this goal.

This will be discussed in later chapters, but my logic here is that Alice still sees Maisie in her visions because she is a _created _hybrid, not a born one. Maisie came by her vampire traits in a more traditional way than born hybrids.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Maisie

**-MAISIE-**

* * *

If Jasper hadn't been with me to think logically, I would have left the Volturi castle with Jennifer's baby and not looked back. He was more rational, though, asking to return to the study we had been in earlier to discuss the ramifications of my agreement.

All five of us were in agreement that Nahuel and his vampire aunt Huilen would be permitted to continue their peaceful, remote life in the South American jungle…should Nahuel conform to the impression the Volturi had of him. I had no doubts they would be pleased to find Nahuel disgusted by Joham's ideologies. Jasper petitioned for us to be the ones to break the news of his sisters' deaths to Nahuel and introduce him to his nephew.

"But you will not leave the child with Nahuel." Surprisingly, this firm but quiet reminder came from Marcus. "It is our intention that the child be raised by the two of you, as we have a hypothesis his vampire-human lineage will lead to vast similarities between Maisie and the child."

"I agreed to take him. I'm not just going to give him away."

Though Sulpicia and Athenodora had been caring for the baby for the entire month of his life—I had been right in my estimation of his age—both were adamant they did not want him back. Together, they taught me how to care for him, but insisted Aro was right in placing the baby in our care.

In case you were wondering: three-fourth human, one-fourth vampire hybrid babies drink mostly formula. Unlike his mother, the baby did not have teeth at birth. Like a human newborn baby, he spent a lot of time sleeping, but was remarkably alert when awake. I had yet to see that, as he apparently was an excellent sleeper and always made it through the night, but Sulpicia and Athenodora had both gushed over his coos and smiles.

"We'll raise the child," Jasper said, leaning over the desk, marking something out with an ancient feather quill, "but no harm will come to _any_ Quileute wolf pack member _or_ their imprints."

Caius didn't agree with this, emitting a low-yet-loud growl that startled the baby still sleeping in my arms. I ran a finger down his cheek to soothe him, lulling him back into his dreams. "Maisie agreed to saving the three known knowledgeable humans, not others."

But Jasper was shaking his head even before Caius finished speaking. "Aro, would you be so kind as to tell your brothers what you've observed of the Quileute from mine and Maisie's memories?"

Aro sighed, long-suffering. "They have come to Maisie's aid in the past. Formidable beasts, capable of dismembering vampires when attacking as a pack. These shifters value human life above all else."

"If I were you, I would hedge my bets where the Quileute are involved. I am personally indebted to them for the times they have protected my Maisie in the past, and you know how indiscriminately supportive my family is of one another."

Jasper did not say outright that he and his family would fight alongside the Quileute, but his meaning certainly held heavy in the air.

"Not to mention," Jasper continued smoothly, ignoring the irritation playing across Aro and Caius' features, "that the shape shifter abilities are passed down genetically. Eliminating the Quileute shifters would take generations of genocide to ensure a total erasure, and so many deaths on a singular Native American reservation would undoubtedly draw the attention of other humans."

They continued this way for some time, Jasper using honeyed words and logic to argue until a settlement was reached.

We, meaning Jasper and myself, would notify Sam that the Volturi were aware of them, but would not interfere so long as they caused no trouble. Sam would also be instructed that informing imprints of the existence of vampires should be prohibited in the future. Jasper and I would raise the baby, with regular check-ins with the Volturi to monitor his growth and development. We were left to our own devices when it came to creating a story for how the baby came to be in our care…among other things.

"I assume you realize you will eventually be leaving your human life and most of your family behind?" Aro asked, not unkindly, as the three Volturi leaders saw us out of the castle. We had become important enough, throughout the night, for a personal escort, I suppose. "Carlisle is exceptionally skilled at faking one's death."

"Yes, I know." I pulled the blankets tighter around the baby, worried about any chill he might have to endure underground in the catacombs. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me, one that I was shocked I hadn't considered before. "Does he have a name?"

Aro smiled in the near-dark of the hallway we were in, teeth glinting in the candlelight. "I've been waiting for you to ask. Dear Jennifer did name him, yes. She was aware of our plans to place the child with the two of you and named him accordingly."

I wasn't sure what he was getting at with 'named him accordingly', and my confusion must have shown on my face. "Jasper, as I'm sure you know, is also the name of a gemstone. Our human assistant, Giselle, fetched a baby name book for Jennifer to peruse. She learned that your name, sweet Maisie, has the meaning 'pearl'. So, with two adoptive parents named after gemstones already, Jennifer thought it best to name the child in kind. She had been calling him Jett up until tonight."

Jett. Jennifer had named her child so that he would be in theme with mine and Jasper's names, knowing she had no choice but to trust that he truly would be given to us and spared her own fate.

"She gave him a second name, Nathaniel, after Nahuel. Those names appear on the passport in your hotel room, though I should chance to say you might call him anything you like from here on. There is no one to stop you, after all."

Aro's quip didn't sit right with me, leaving me glaring as I firmly told him that Jett Nathaniel was going to be his name all his life.

"Yes, well, I suppose it will do. Jasper, do you recall the route back?" Jasper ran a hand first over my head and then over Jett's.

"We'll manage. Oh, Aro, one small thing." He looked over his shoulder as we turned away. "I know the admiration and affection you hold for Alice. I love her dearly as well, and I doubt she will take kindly to hearing how her visions were exploited and used against her. I would advise you not to do so again."

Aro scowled at that, though Jasper gave him to time to retort. His hand was pressing into the small of my back, leading me forward. Entering the catacomb took some logistical modifications. Jasper went down first again, reaching up for me to pass Jett to him. Somehow, he managed to catch me one-armed when I let myself fall through the opening.

"Hopefully Caterina will open the other end at the hotel and let us out." I was guided by Jasper's hand curled around my elbow, careful not to jostle Jett as we walked.

"She's had excellent customer service thus far."

It was still pitch-dark night when we left the castle. I had no idea what time it was, how close we were to dawn. Unlike when we travelled with Jane, we talked through the backtracked voyage through the catacombs.

"I'll bet they're all freaking out," I told Jasper, settling Jett's weight more comfortably in my arms. "Think Alice can see him in her visions?"

"Not likely, if the trend continues. She can't see shapeshifters because she has never been one, just as she can't see Nahuel because she's never been a hybrid."

"She can see _me_, though." I countered. My toes skimmed something cold and hard. I tried not to shiver, remembering that Jane had confirmed my fear that there were skeletal remains littered throughout the catacombs.

"You were changed through venom, _mi amor_, just as Alice was. That appears to be the conditions of her visions, so far as supernatural beings go."

I did shiver then when he grouped me in with Alice. So much time spent trying to reconcile my mind with becoming a vampire, and I was still unable to accept it. Whether I like it or not, that's what I was.

Perhaps not a 'traditional' vampire, as those I had met up until then. I guess, really, Nahuel, Jett, and I belonged in a category together. Vampire-like immortals, not up to snuff to the Volturi's purist standards.

"I couldn't even manage to become a vampire the right way, huh?" Jasper didn't answer me that time. Not with words, anyway. I felt his lips press a kiss to the top of my head instead.

* * *

Caterina was kind enough not only to assist us in climbing out of the catacombs, but she led us back to our room, chattering all the while about the 'additional amenities'. That meant a bassinette for Jett, the fridge being stocked with formula for him—and a surreptitiously dark pre-made bottle toward the back. The passport Aro had promised was sitting on the coffee table in the little living room.

I looked through the fabricated passport while Jasper disappeared into the bedroom for a moment. _Jett Nathaniel Hale_, the name read. His birthdate was listed as September 15th. He was nearly exactly a month old. I was musing over how we could construct a story to explain Jett's existence to my family when Jasper came quietly back into the room.

He took Jett from my arms, laying him on his back in the bassinette. I opened my mouth to argue, but Jasper beat me to it. "We'll hear him should he wake up, though rumor has it he sleeps through the night, remember?"

Jasper took my hand and led me into the bathroom. I was throwing glances back over my shoulder the whole time, but Jett didn't move an inch. He slept with his hands thrown up above his head, legs splayed, looking for all the world like he was falling through open sky.

Inside the bathroom, Jasper left the lights off. There was enough moonlight streaming in through the skylight that I could still make out his features, gleaned silver. He lifted me to sit on the bathroom counter before running water from the sink faucet over a washcloth. Carefully, with a heartbreaking gentleness, he took my wrist and flipped it to expose the now-scabbed remnants of his bite mark.

Only now that we were alone was I able to take a deep breath, and once I did, I began to shake. The moonlight had turned even his eyes a dark, silvery shade, erasing the red hue I knew they held in the aftermath of his drinking my blood. He was washing the remnants of that same blood from my arm, drying my skin with one of the luxuriously fluffy towels when it was all gone.

"I am so sorry." He took my wrist, pressing it against his cheek. I could feel his frown beneath. "I imagine it will scar."

"I'll just match Gunner," I pointed out, trying to laugh to lighten the heaviness. But instead, my laugh turned just a touch hysterical and not just a little watery. Hot tears were running down my face within seconds, that laugh turning into a sob that I stifled with my free hand. "Jasper."

His name was all I needed to say. Jasper pulled me from the counter, tucking me into his lap. I clung to his shirt, twisting it in my fist, burying my face in his shoulder. He rubbed my back. Pressed against him as I was, I could feel how shaky his own breaths were, though I knew vampires could not cry actual tears. After some length, I pulled away ever so slightly, cupping his face in my hands. Jasper tipped his head forward so that our foreheads were touching, the two of us all tangled up on the bathroom floor under the moonlight.

"I'm so, _so_ stupid, huh?" I asked, my laugh more solid this time. Jasper laughed, too, running his fingers through my hair.

"No, the Volturi are excellent manipulators. Though I must say, dangling anything in front of you that needs saving is a surefire way to trick you, _mi amor_."

"I've upgraded from turtles and birds and squirrels to actual babies. I'm so stupid," I said again. "We're going to have to deal with the Volturi for _years._"

His thumb ran over my mouth, silencing any other self-deprecating talk I might have spewed next. "Maisie, I don't want you to regret saving a child's life for one second, no matter what ramifications come with it, do you hear me? It's entirely likely they would have killed Jett had we not agreed to take him. I will _not_ have you being remorseful over such a thing."

I nodded, hands dropping to his chest, worrying over the buttons on his shirt. Idly, I pushed one of the buttons in and out of its buttonhole while I collected my thoughts. I nearly didn't voice them, but Aro would see them regardless, next time we must meet.

"They are terrifying, aren't they?"

"They've had uncountable years to hone their rule, yes. And the Volturi does so love their absolute rule. But you," he tipped my face upward, so that I met his eyes, "have done something so few have done before. You have been summoned by the Volturi and are walking away with your life, and that is no small matter, Maisie."

"Hey, now," I told him. "You did the same thing."

"Yes, I suppose so."

I sighed, laying my head on his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him. Jasper's fingers traced patterns along the bare skin of my back, both of us just taking a moment to be. Exhaustion ebbed over me, now, making my limbs feel fuzzy. "You should sleep."

But I shook my head against the murmured suggestion, pulling back again, this time only enough to press a kiss to his mouth. "I don't want to sleep. Not yet."

I kissed him again, weaving my fingers into his hair to press myself closer. He responded in kind, assisting me in rearranging my legs so he was framed between them, hands sliding up the hem of my skirt and up over my hips. He stood in a singular fluid motion so smooth that I wasn't even jostled before carrying me back into the bedroom.

He laid me down gently on the bed, brushing my hair back from my face. Jasper's eyes flickered to the door, cracked open ever-so-slightly so I could hear Jett, too, should he wake. Just enough light came in from the living room that I could see Jasper's face clearly again.

"Rumor is that he'll sleep through the night, remember?" I echoed back to him. "Seems to me we have a few hours of the night left to us."

We had come close to crossing this line before, of course. How could we not? There was no hesitancy, now. Not as I undid the buttons fully on his shirt; not when he sat me up, undoing the zipper down the back of my dress. We both needed this, after the night we had survived, I think. To feel the solidness of each other under our hands.

Jasper kissed the bitemark on my wrist again, before trailing kisses all the way up my arm, making me giggle. He was stalling, I realized. "You're putting a lot of faith in my self-control tonight, Maisie."

"Do you want to drink my blood?" I asked, running my fingers along his neck. His scars were so thick there, a topographic map of his past under my touch. Jasper inhaled sharply, eyelids fluttering.

"No." He chuckled. "Your blood tasted mostly of venom, but it was still the first human—or human-like—blood I've had in decades. The affect was…not subtle."

Yet, he must have had some faith in himself because he made no efforts to stop himself. In fact, his mouth moved back to mine, kissing me so deeply I mused perhaps he was trying to drink me up. He was actually just buying himself a few more seconds of preparation.

I gasped against his mouth, making him draw back. There was mock concern on his face, and he made no efforts to truly pull away from me as one eyebrow drew itself up. "Self-control, I told you—"

He didn't get to finish that thought. If he could be a brat, so could I, and I gained the upper hand on him by wrapping a leg around his waist. He seemed not to have much faculty for speaking above breathy whispers from that point forward.

* * *

**A/N:** A much shorter chapter, I know, but I wanted to give _some _time to Jasper and Maisie before everything else comes about with revealing things to the families, Gunner, Sam and the pack... believe me, the next chapter will be _much _longer.

Thank you to everyone that reviewed! I loved reading reactions to something I have had in my mind for so very long! I hope you all continue to enjoy as we move forward.


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